Unyielding Code
by Xerosonic
Summary: The elements of both series converge in the world of Terca Lumireis. Yuri and Lelouch cross paths; dramatically altering their destinies and in turn, the fate of the world.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hello to everyone that knows me. This here is a new fic that is made with the collaborative effort of Myself, Draconichero20, and Bartholomew Kamiro. This fic was originally supposed to be on Bartholomew Kamiro's profile, but some urgencies occured on his side and now it was left with me to keep on my own. Credit to this fic obviously goes to all three of us, so the profile links to the other auther's will be posted below (remove spaces). Go check out their personal works and such, they don't dissapoint in quality.

Also, to those who read my (Xerosonic's) fics. Take this as me not quitting, i got myself together and running like oiled gears on their first day. You shoudl see some updates within the week...If Deus Ex: Human Revolution doesn't keep me too distracted.

Anyway. Enjoy the first chapter!

Bartholomew Kamiro's profile: fanfiction.n e t/u/2588267/Bartholomew_Kamiro

Draconichero20's profile: fanfiction.n e t/u/2139647/draconichero20

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><p>Chapter 1: Footsteps of Fate<p>

It had been many years since she had last wandered to this part of the world. The soft grass crunched softly under the heels of her leather boots; winter had ended little over a month ago and with it nature had begun its natural course of life once again. Buds were just beginning to form on the branches of the nearby elm trees, slowly bringing a green hue to the once brown and white landscape.

_No matter how many years pass, there are some things that never change,_ thought the woman. A sad smile momentarily ghosted across her face before vanishing as fast as it had appeared.

It was still early in the morning; a gust of wind licked at the woman's exposed skin, causing a chill to run through her body. As she continued to trudge onward she could feel the moist ground, almost turned mud from the earlier rainfall, continue to tug on her footsteps as though trying to hold her in place. For a moment she was tempted to just throw her back upon the dew-covered grass and rest, but another gust of icy wind urged her to continue.

The woman carried on until she crested the last hill. Below her, nestled in a valley of green, was the capital city of Zaphias, oft labeled as the "Jewel of the Empire." The stone walls stood firm and resolute yet the marble spires conveyed an equally strong impression of beauty and grace. As the sun emerged over the eastern mountains, the marble walls of Zaphias seemed to glow a golden color. The pulsating barrier that encapsulated the majestic capital only seemed to heighten the radiance. A small smile graced the girl's face; truly, the city was deserving of the title it had been given.

As she stared down upon the city that held so many memories for her, the woman could not help but find it ironic that she was drawn back here once again. The symbol of the Ouroboros flashed across her mind, the meaning not lost upon her in the slightest.

_Back to the source of the river, is it?_ Thought the woman with a smirk. Even after all these years the woman thought that she would have figured out fate and its trappings by now. She remembered in her childhood how her teacher once lectured her about how nothing happened by chance. Fate had a hand in all matters, from the treasured moments of joy to the bitter regrets of despair.

Another rush of chilling wind blew at her back, causing her hair to billow out in front of her. She almost laughed; it was as though the wind was encouraging her on her journey. The girl pushed a loose strand of her light green hair back behind her ear before resuming her walk down the hill towards the capital.

The cogs of Fate slowly began to creak to life once again.

-x-

It had been an excellent dream, up until the loud boom jolted Yuri from his sleep. He realized at this point such occurrences shouldn't come as a surprise to him. If there was one thing Yuri Lowell knew about his life it was that he was cursed to always have misfortune follow him wherever he went. Groggily, Yuri rubbed the sleep from his eyes and pulled the curtain of his window open. He had to shield his eyes as the resultant sunlight nearly blinded him.

_Is it already that late?_ Yuri thought as he checked the clock hanging on the wall. It was still fairly early in the morning; however, it appeared the sun had decided to finally come back with a vengeance after days of nothing but clouds and rain. As he cast another glance out his window, Yuri noticed a strong yet steady stream of water pour down the paved roads of the Lower Quarter. The canals were already on the verge of overflowing. At this rate, the Lower Quarter was going to be underwater.

_Ah hell, don't tell me the aque blastia has broken again_, thought Yuri as he let out a frustrated sigh.

That blastia had been a contradiction to everything it should be doing. It was essential to the life of those living in the Lower Quarter as a water supply, yet it proved to be a burden more often than not with how many issues it seemed to have. Yuri remembered it had been acting strangely of late, which had prompted Hanks to get some guy Yuri had never heard of to fix the blastia before it got worse. Judging from the constant stream of water though, Yuri could only assume that things hadn't gone so well, to put it mildly.

Yuri took his typical seat on the windowsill of his room as he observed the events below him.

"Yuri! Yuri, we have trouble!" shouted a young boy. Suddenly Yuri's door flung open only to reveal a kid no older than ten in a bright striped shirt.

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" quipped Yuri.

"This is not good, Yuri. Not at all!" panted Ted. The kid was soaked to the bone from the looks of things.

"Whoa, slow down there, Ted. What's going on?"

"The aque blastia broke again! Big time too! And the worst part is they just finished fixing it."

"What's the big deal? Just leave the blastia to the mighty Imperial Knights. Isn't that what they're there for?" Yuri's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Hah! The Knights? You know they never come to the Lower Quarter."

"Whatever happened to the 'heroic Flynn?'" asked Yuri as he left his windowsill perch.

"I tried to get him, but the Knights wouldn't even let me see him!" exclaimed Ted.

"Oh, so I'm Flynn's replacement, huh?" smirked Yuri.

"Does it really matter right now? We're short on people right now and need all the help we can get."

"Ted! Ted, you get down here! We need your help too!" came the unmistakable voice of Ted's mother.

"I'll…I'll be there in a sec! Yuri, come on already!" When Yuri didn't move Ted glared at him before darting out the door as quickly as he entered.

Yuri walked back to the window and took another look at the area. Things were already pretty bad and at this rate it was only going to get worse. "That's weird. Flynn always comes running at the first sign of trouble. If this keeps up, it won't be long before this place becomes an aquarium."

Repede snatched a quick glance at Yuri before standing up and making his way for the door. As he let out a sigh, Yuri retrieved his lightweight, compact sword from the wall before leaping out the window. Ted saw Yuri and grinned upon seeing the man leave for the central plaza where the blastia was located.

"First the trouble with the Knights the other day, and now the aque blastia breaks again. Why it is this kind of stuff always happens to the Lower Quarter?" Yuri sighed as the memory of the Knights rushed through his head.

Repede let out couple of barks at Yuri to get Yuri into action instead of standing around.

"Yeah, yeah. I know whining won't solve anything. But stuff like this happens far too often and no one further up seems to notice, much less care."

Repede responded with another bark.

"Don't remind me. It's not exactly like the emperor cares about us either. We're talking about the man who claims it's the natural order of the world for the strong to devour the weak. All he's done is validate the way everyone treats the people living in the Lower Quarter," finished Yuri, a tinge of anger in his voice.

Yuri's statement elicited a low whine from Repede.

As Yuri continued along the paved road to the plaza, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for the homes that were already underwater. Most of the people lived in crowded tenements. It was the only way for many to survive due to both cost and the lack of space. The Lower Quarter was overcrowded already and it didn't show any signs of changing in the near future either.

While the common person would think the emperor would be sympathetic to the plight of his people, Emperor Charles zi Brittania was anything but. If anything the man had made life even harder for Yuri and those simply trying to get by in the Lower Quarter. People from the Lower Quarter were often treated like trash anywhere outside of their home and were expressly forbidden from entering the Upper Quarter where the nobility dwelled. Of course, that didn't stop the nobility from harassing the "commoners" in the streets. Some had even turned it into a form of sport. Meanwhile, the Imperial Knights would simply look on, some pretending nothing strange or inhuman was happening while others even joined in the "fun."

Yuri had lost count of the number of times he had beaten up some noble's kid or an Imperial Knight for those kinds of atrocities. True, he had served more than his number of jail terms and received plenty of beatings, but it didn't really make a difference to him. If the emperor was just going to spit upon the people of the Lower Quarter, then Yuri had no issue spitting right back in his face.

Perhaps it was because of their poor treatment that so many people dwelling in the Lower Quarter idolized Flynn Scifo. Flynn had come from the Lower Quarter himself and made it into the ranks of the Knights at an early age with the promise of changing the government so the people in the Lower Quarter didn't have to suffer. Still, one knight didn't seem to make that much of a difference considering how nothing had changed since then.

As Yuri arrived at the plaza with the aque blastia, he felt his eyes widen slightly at just how bad things were. The blastia continued to pump out gratuitous amounts of water and didn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down either. Old man Hanks along with several other able-bodied men were attempting to halt the flow of water with dozens of sand bags. Children and women were carrying buckets of the water and throwing it into the canals or anywhere they could afford to place it in hopes of reducing the water level.

"Come on everyone! We need to seal this thing off somehow!" shouted Hanks over the rushing water.

Yuri walked over to one of the men throwing sandbags into the blastia. "Find any sunken treasure down there, Lyle?"

The man glared at Yuri. "Yeah, but you're late so I'm not sharing."

"Haha, how nice." Yuri proceeded to pick up one of the sandbags. The bag had already absorbed a great deal of water, easily doubling its weight. With a heave, Yuri chucked the soaked deadweight into the blastia.

"You know what they say, it's sink or swim in this world," stated Lyle as he grabbed another bag. "It would appear that blue-blooded mage we hired to fix this thing decided to leave the job half-finished."

Hanks glanced up and caught sight of Yuri. "Glad you could find the time to drop by, Yuri!"

"Take it easy with the water sports, old man. You're not getting any younger after all," joked Yuri.

"You're up next, Yuri! I hope you don't mind a little bit of water."

"Heh, yikes."

Hanks grabbed another bag with both his hands. "Come on everyone! Put your backs into it. Heave-ho!"

Yuri grabbed another bag and proceeded to add that to the growing pile. "The old timer really seems to be putting his all into this."

"It's probably because he feels responsible. After all, Hanks was the one who pushed everyone to chip in to help pay for the repairs."

"And now he's the one all wet," stated Yuri. "It's not like it is Hank's fault though that the mage did a two-bit repair job though. Not to mention where are the Knights in all of this?"

"I agree," sighed the man. "I heard Hank's even parted with his wife's keepsake to help raise the money."

It was strange for the aque blastia to suddenly go berserk like this. In the past the thing had stopped working every now and then but this was the first time Yuri had ever seen the device start uncontrollably spewing water. As he inspected the device closer, Yuri noticed that the blastia core that drove the machine appeared to be missing.

"Hey, Hanks," called Yuri. "Have you seen the aque blastia core by chance? You know, that shiny piece in the center?"

"Eh? Is it gone?" asked Hanks.

"Yeah. The blastia won't function properly without it. Who did you say was the last person to work on the aque blastia?"

"Oh, it was an aristocrat named Mr. Mordio."

"I see. Does he live in the royal quarter?"

"I would imagine so. Why does that matter though? Right now we need to focus on getting this water under control."

Yuri took his hand away from his chin. "Sorry, Hanks, I just remembered an errand I have to run." Repede dashed over to join Yuri as he approached the stairs leading to the Upper Quarter.

"Hey! Wait just a minute there, Yuri!" shouted Hanks as he caught up to Yuri. "You aren't seriously thinking of going to Mr. Mordio's manner, are ya?"

"Me? Go to the royal quarter? Are you kidding? I wouldn't be caught dead going to a place like that. It gives me the creeps."

"Damn it, Yuri. Just because you can do a couple fancy tricks with that bodhi blastia of yours you think you're invincible."

"Relax, Hanks," reassured Yuri.

"Don't be so reckless. From what I've heard, the emperor has just instated new laws regarding the treatment of criminals. You may not be so lucky this time."

"Well the food they serve in jail is bad enough that it probably could be considered torture, but if that's the worst then I think I'll be fine. Later, Hanks."

Hanks let out a sigh as he watched Yuri takeoff up the steps with Repede. "I hope that fool doesn't do something crazy."

"He always seems to cause problems when the Lower Quarter's involved," spoke up one of the men.

"Don't I know it. Even the Knights have started to keep an eye on him."

"Well, for Yuri this is just a usual day. It's as he said. If that's the worst he has to deal with then we'll be fine."

"I suppose…" Hanks couldn't suppress the feeling though, that things were going to be anything but fine.

-x-

Yuri casually made his way up to the central district of Zaphias. The area didn't have a designation like the Lower or Upper Quarter did and served more or less as the median between the two. Most of the people that lived here also lived in tenements or some sort but they were kept in much better shape compared to those in the Lower Quarter. With its placement in the capital, the central district served as a common hub for the city, in turn also serving as the central marketplace for most of the people. Merchants and various vendors stood at their stands advertising their wares to anyone who'd spare a moment to listen.

"Even with the Lower Quarter on the verge of going underwater the vendors and merchants act like nothing's wrong," stated Yuri.

Repede let out a whine in response.

"Yeah, I know. No point in worrying about it right now."

Repede suddenly turned his head curiously before dashing off down a nearby alleyway. Yuri blinked in bewilderment before taking after the hound at full speed.

"Hey, Repede! Mind slowing down or letting me know what's got your attention all of a sudden?"

The blue-furred dog rounded the next corner. As Yuri turned the corner, he saw Repede sitting in front of a girl with green hair. She was dressed like a common traveler with a pair of brown boots and white slacks. She wore a short sleeve white tunic over that which somehow seemed to make her green hair stand out even more. The girl gave the dog an affectionate pat on the head, which seemed to please Repede. The dog then turned around and walked back over to Yuri's side with a content feeling.

"You have a clever friend," stated the girl as she pushed some of her hair behind her ears.

"Heh, that's one way of putting it. Repede, what was that about all of a sudden?" asked Yuri as he turned to his faithful pooch. The dog only whined in response.

"I called him here. He simply answered like a good boy," said the girl simply.

Yuri looked at her, slightly surprised. "You called him? Do you and Repede know each other?"

"No, but I am well aware of who he is, just as I know who you are, Yuri Lowell."

"I'm flattered that a pretty girl like you knows who I am," joked Yuri. "Listen, I'm afraid that I don't have too much time to chat at the moment. I have a bit of an errand I need to take care of."

"You mean recovering the aque blastia from the Upper Quarter?" asked the girl.

Yuri stopped mid-step and narrowed his eyes upon the girl. There was no way she could know that was what he was doing. Maybe Hanks wasn't too far off when he said that the Knights had started keeping a close watch on Yuri after all.

"Oh relax, I'm not here to stop you or anything silly like that," said the girl with a bored tone. "I can assure you that I am not your enemy."

Yuri raised an eyebrow as though to ask, 'Oh really?' "You appear out of nowhere and claim you know who I am and what I'm planning. Yeah, that really helps convince me otherwise."

"You aren't that hard to figure out. You act all cynical and sarcastic but deep down you really care what happens to the Lower Quarter. From there, anyone should be able to piece it together fairly easily."

"And here I thought I had such a good poker face," joked Yuri.

"You do, I didn't say it was easy to find out." The girl turned and cast a serious look into Yuri's eyes. "The wheels of Fate have already begun to turn. The threads converge upon you, Yuri Lowell. If you proceed, you will throw yourself upon a path from which there can be no turning back. Is that what you wish?"

Yuri returned the girl's stare before turning around and waving it off with his right hand. "Are you going to read my palm as well? If you're asking whether I'm going to the Upper Quarter then the answer is yes. Nice talking with you."

With that, Yuri and Repede left the mysterious girl in the alleyway. She could only smile at the memory of her encounter. Yuri Lowell was most interesting indeed.

-x-

"I wonder what the heck that was all about?" sighed Yuri aloud. He had never seen that girl before in his life yet she talked like she'd known him for years. It was disconcerting to the young man.

Repede sensed Yuri's frustration and let out a groan as well as though it meant to echo his friend's thoughts.

"I kind of wonder why I can't seem to meet people who don't seem to have some agenda with me. Between the Knights and the nobles, a mysterious girl is the last thing I want on my plate."

As the two neared the boundaries of the Upper Quarter, Yuri and Repede slipped into a nearby bush just outside of the gate. Two knights were standing guard though they seemed to be taking their line of work pretty casually.

"Did you hear about the blastia malfunction in the Lower Quarter?" Yuri overheard one of them say.

"Yeah. I heard they tried to get someone to repair it and had to raise a lot of money by selling their treasures and such."

"Treasures? I wasn't aware the people in the Lower Quarter had anything that valuable."

"It wasn't. From what I heard it was mostly junk and worn keepsakes barely worth a Gald."

"Hah! I'd like to see just what kind of junk those worthless slobs consider 'treasure' in the first place."

Yuri clenched his right fist, feeling the black leather crease over his knuckles. "Listen to them. I can't really argue about the junk thing though, sorry Hanks." Yuri scooped up two decent sized rocks before standing up and launching the first one at the closest guard. The projectile collided perfectly with the helmet with a resounding thunk, dropping the guard like a sack of potatoes. Before the second guard could make out what happened, a second stone collided with his helmet knocking him out as well. With both of them incapacitated, Yuri casually strolled over to the gate.

"If you can't understand the value of junk, you're worth less than junk yourselves," stated Yuri bitterly to the unconscious guards. He turned back to Repede. "Repede, can you find the scent leading to Mordio?"

The hound gave a quick bark and sprinted into the Upper Quarter. Looking up, Yuri noticed a blastia core was also missing from a streetlight.

_So they've been stealing cores from here as well. Looks like someone's got some stick fingers_, thought Yuri. He noticed the nobles talking with one another, however, none of them seemed concerned much less noticed that the blastia core was missing.

"Go figure. The royal quarter loses some blastia cores and no one even bats an eye. Meanwhile, the Lower Quarter loses one and everything goes into complete chaos. You'd think if that was their attitude they could at least afford to give a few to the Lower Quarter."

After a few minutes, Repede returned and gave a reassuring bark.

"All right, good job, Repede." The two walked towards the nearest manor where Repede had picked up the scent.

"Well Repede, it looks like the nobility is living the sweet life as usual." Yuri was answered by a whine of agreement. "The Lower Quarter is right there, and no one gives a damn. The nobility should act, you know, noble. Not just sit around and play dress-up in their mansions."

Repede let out another whine.

"If it's not the nobles, it's the Knights. Why is it neither side does anything to help, especially considering some of the Knights are from the Lower Quarter? Not to mention, how can anyone support an emperor who allows both sides to do this?"

Yuri shoved the thought aside as he approached the front door of the manor. A quick check of the door revealed it to be locked. Feeling a bit irritated by this realization, Yuri kicked the door out of frustration. Undeterred, Yuri made his way around the building to the side bordering a rather extravagant garden. A smirk crept upon Yuri's lips as his eyes spotted an open window. Yuri gave the window a slight push and it swung open completely without any issue, allowing Repede and him into the manor.

"All right, now let's see if we can't find this Mordio guy, right Repede?"

The dog let out a short bark and began sniffing around to see if he could pick up the scent of the mage. Yuri tried several of the doors but found all of them to be locked. After checking the first floor as best as they could, the two proceeded to the upstairs. No sooner did they resume their search than Yuri heard the unmistakable sound of a door opening. Glancing over the banister, Yuri spotted a figure clad in a red and white cloak with a hood obscuring his face. He had a bag over his shoulder that he set down upon reaching the front door before reaching into the folds of his robe to reveal an all too familiar blue-green orb.

"That's it!" said Yuri. Before the man could react, Repede blocked off the front door while Yuri landed behind him, his sword drawn and at the ready.

"You are Mordio, right? Why don't you hand over the blastia core you stole from the Lower Quarter?" The cloaked figure trembled a bit at Yuri's presence, but he reached into his robe and threw a black ball at the ground; creating a large smokescreen. From Repede's whine, Yuri could only assume that he had lost the scent.

As the smoke cleared, Yuri saw the man was gone but Repede had his bag in his mouth.

"Good boy, Repede." After a quick search though, Yuri realized the blastia core was nowhere to be found. "Damn, he must have kept it on him. Let's get that core back and give that mage a thrashing while we're at it."

Yuri bolted out the door to catch up with the mage only for two familiar knights to get in his way. One of them was rather tall and lanky with an out of place mustache that stood up like a lightning bolt had struck him. The other man was almost half the other's height, a bit chubby, and carried a spear with him.

"Yuri! So it is you who are the cause of all this commotion!" declared the tall one.

The shorter one shook his head condescendingly. "I know he's poor but breaking into an aristocrat's home? My, how the mighty have fallen."

"As if this day couldn't get any better," sighed Yuri. "Now I have to deal with Tweedle A and Tweedle B."

"I say, stop with those nicknames!" "Just what is a Tweedle anyway?" shouted the two simultaneously.

Yuri caught a glimpse of red from behind a wagon that belonged to the mage, Mordio. Ignoring the Tweedles, Yuri began to give chase only for both of them to block his path.

"We've got you surrounded! There's no hope for you to escape!" Declared Boccos (Tweedle B). Yuri heard the crack of a whip and watched as the wagon took off, along with the core for the Lower Quarter.

_No point in running now,_ Yuri thought dejectedly.

"Does it look like I'm trying to escape? See, its stuff like that that keeps you from getting promoted."

"You did NOT just say that!" shot back Boccos.

"I say, you take that back!" shouted Adecor (Tweedle A). Both knights drew their weapons as they prepared for battle.

"Heh, I guess that's enough beating around the bush," said Yuri as he flicked the sheath off his sword before catching it with his left hand.

"Stand back, Adecor!" proclaimed Boccos. "I will handle this fight in the name of the Imperial Knights!"

"Nay, I say, it is I who shall fight for the glory of the Imperial Knights. Peons, I say, should stand back."

"P-peon? You are the peon!"

"Nay, I say, I am your superior!"

"No, I am!"

Yuri let out a sigh as the scene played out as the two continued to butt heads. "I appreciate that you both want a stab at me, but can we cut the catfight and get on with it already?"

His words though, clearly fell on deaf ears as the two continued their bickering over who was the superior officer.

"Hey, you guys ready?" called out Yuri. When he didn't get a response, Yuri simply shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have time to waste with these guys right now. Azure Edge!"

Yuri slashed his sword forward, releasing a distinct blue shockwave towards the two knights. Unfortunately for the Tweedles, their argument finished just in time to see the incoming attack heading straight for them.

"Wait, I say! We aren't rea-" Adecor never got to finish his statement as both he and Boccos were knocked promptly off their feet and into the manor walls behind them.

"Come on guys, you can do better than that, can't you?" taunted Yuri. From the groans coming from the two knights though, it was clear this fight was already over.

Yuri turned to give chase to the carriage only to suddenly be stopped by ten knights. From the crest upon their uniform, Yuri immediately recognized them as belonging to the Cumore Brigade.

_Damn, it looks like I won't be catching up with that carriage anytime soon,_ thought Yuri.

When it came to the Cumore Brigade, Yuri had it basically down to a science. He would surrender, Cumore would taunt him about how he was a lower class piece of trash compared with the illustrious captain, Cumore would have his men beat Yuri down, and then finally Yuri would be dragged off to jail for a couple days to a week and then go free like usual. Yuri knew some people would question whether it was a good thing he could anticipate the series of events so well.

"How typical of the Schwann Brigade," came the sneering voice of Captain Cumore. Cue Captain Cumore's usual taunting speech about pedigree. "They can't even manage to capture a single lowlife."

Upon realizing they were being addressed, Adecor and Boccos hurriedly picked themselves up and stood at attention. "Our apologies, Captain Cumore, for this most unsightly display."

Cumore merely snorted. "This is why the Imperial Knights have no use for lowborn scum such as yourselves. You can't do your job properly and make those of us who can do our jobs appear inept. You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"P-please sir, don't tell Sir Schwann about this," stammered Boccos.

Yuri let out another sigh. "I can't believe our taxes go to paying these guys…" Near the gate to the manor, Yuri saw Repede with the bag in his mouth. After making eye contact, the pooch hurried off back to the Lower Quarter. Yuri was content that at least the Lower Quarter would get some of its valuables back; thus, he threw his sword on the ground in front of him as he prepared for the inevitable beating.

Repede hadn't gone unnoticed by the Tweedles either though. "I say, that tops it all! Abandoned by his faithful pooch!"

Cumore turned his pretentious sneer towards Yuri now. "Well, well. You've certainly had a busy day, haven't you Mr. Yuri Lowell?"

Yuri made no response at first as he coolly glared as Cumore. "Cumore, it's rats like you that make Flynn's job so difficult."

"Flynn, that upstart lieutenant? What he needs is someone to properly put him in his place, much like you. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time actually." Cumore's satanic grin was even broader than usual.

"Really? I had no idea you cared about our relationship so much, Cumore," joked Yuri.

"You would do well to wipe that arrogant smirk off your face, Yuri Lowell. You see, His Grace, the emperor, has issued a new declaration regarding criminal actions."

"What?"

"You see, the new law states that criminals that are deemed too dangerous can simply be executed before they are given the chance to do something to endanger the Empire."

Yuri's could feel his eyes widen. "That's insane! The Empire is basically legalizing murder!"

"It isn't murder, Yuri Lowell, it is justice," laughed Cumore. "You have no idea how happy I am to finally be rid of a nuisance like you after all these years. Men, show Mr. Lowell the will of our emperor."

"Sir!" saluted the knights before they drew their swords. Yuri was now sorely regretting surrendering his sword. He spotted it just on the other side of the encirclement, but he had no idea how he was going to break through ten trained men without a weapon.

_Damnit! This is bad,_ thought Yuri angrily.

The first knight charged Yuri, his sword drawn back to finish the raven-haired man in one strike. Yuri sidestepped the attack and attempted to kick the man's legs out from under him, only to suddenly see another sword coming at him from behind. He ducked just in time to see the original knight come at him another time. Once again Yuri dodged the thrust and this time managed to grab the man's wrist, incapacitating his sword arm. Yuri moved in and dealt a palm strike to the man's chest. He cursed out loud as his hand screamed out in pain from the contact with the metal armor. The knight didn't seem phased in the slightest and proceeded to knock Yuri off of him. Yuri stood up and looked around to see they had him completely surrounded.

_Damn, if only I had my sword_, thought Yuri. He wasn't sure what was more disconcerting; the fact that he was defenseless in a life-threatening situation or that these knights were actually trying to kill him while Cumore watched with that same accursed sneer.

Rather than wait for the first strike, Yuri charged the knight right in front of him. The knight reflexively slashed at Yuri; a movement that he anticipated. Grabbing the man's arm, Yuri twisted it behind the knight's back in the attempt to get the man's grip on the sword to loosen. He saw the man's fingers loosen slightly, then more, it was almost free…

Just before Yuri could get the sword, another weapon pierced him in the right shoulder, causing him to release the knight and fall backwards as he felt a warm liquid run down his arm. Yuri took a few steps back only to hit the cold marble wall that ran around the manor. The knights formed up a semicircle effectively trapping him in place.

"What are you men waiting for?" came Cumore's voice. "He's just some piece of lowborn commoner filth. Finish him!"

_Am I…going to die here?_ Thought Yuri as he tried to look for some way out; however there was nothing he could do. If Repede were here he might have been able to figure something out, but in this situation he couldn't find any options.

"Die!" shouted the knights. Three of them charged while the rest maintained the encirclement. There was no way Yuri could evade all three attacks. He clenched his teeth as he prepared for the inevitable.

_Damnit!_

"He must not die!"

Yuri could feel blood splatter upon him, but he didn't feel any pain. His eyes widened at the scene right in front of him. The mysterious green-haired girl from earlier was standing in front of him, the three swords of the knights run through his body. Blossoms of red slowly spread out as they stained the pure white clothes she wore. Even the knights seemed shocked as to what had just happened. After what felt like an eternity, the knights withdrew their swords as the girl collapsed to the ground. Yuri caught her as she fell, cradling her head close his chest as he tried to feel for a pulse, a breath, a heartbeat, anything.

"What are you men standing around for?" shouted Cumore.

"S-sir, the girl…"

"Is collateral damage. She is likely his accomplice and just as guilty of his crimes." The knights nodded hesitantly before turning back to face Yuri.

_Why? Why did she throw herself in front of that attack? Damnit, what am I supposed to do? I need something, a weapon, power-_

Yuri's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt a hand tighten on his wrist.

_You don't want your life to end here, do you?_ Yuri didn't understand it but somehow the girl's voice was inside his head. Cumore and the other knights seemed to fade out of existence only to be replaced with a series of images he couldn't make sense of.

_You appear to have an important reason to keep living, _spoke her voice.

_The girl's voice_ thought Yuri in confusion. _But how is this possible?_

_If I grant you power, could you go on? Could you continue to live?_ Images of the girl flashed in and out before him.

_I propose a deal. In exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions. While living in the world of humans, you will live a life unlike any other, a different providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?_

Memories flashed before Yuri of the people in the Lower Quarter suffering at the hands of the nobles and knights. He saw the events of his time in Scizotania replay vividly up until the moment that had marked the turning point for him.

"_Yuri, I leave the rest to you." Yuri could only watch as Captain Niren Fedrock smiled before descending into the pit below him_.

"Yes! I accept the terms of your contract!" shouted Yuri with fortitude.

The world slammed suddenly back into place. The girl still lay in his arms as her blood continued to spill onto the paved ground around them. He gently set her down and silently thanked her for the second chance she had given him. As he stood up, the knights were confused at why he had his left eye closed.

Yuri's eyelid slowly opened to reveal red winged sigil in place of the usual gray eye.

He watched as the knights charged in once again, this time intent upon finishing him for good. Yuri felt like he was watching life in slow motion. He could "see" the flow of blood in the knights, he could "see" the muscle tissue tense and flex, and he could "see" the nerves firing signals back and forth throughout the body. Most importantly to Yuri though, was that he could now easily anticipate their attacks.

Yuri charged forth and nimbly evaded the first thrust before sliding past two consecutive chops. With a well-placed flip, Yuri managed to dodge the horizontal slash coming for his backside before leaping off of a knight's shoulders. He landed a few feet away right next to his sword. Yuri swiftly retrieved the weapon before launching back into the fray. He promptly fired off an Azure Edge, catching one knight off guard. Yuri closed in and dealt a rapid blow with his sword hilt to incapacitate the knight before turning to the others.

With the power still active, Yuri gracefully dodged out of the way of two thrusts before spinning around and knocking both weapons out of their owners' hands. He followed up the assault with another Azure Edge, this one taking out both of the weaponless knights. The others surrounded Yuri, hoping to finish him with their tactic from earlier.

_Not this time_ thought Yuri as he spun around to deflect the first attacker. The second knight didn't even get a chance to strike before Yuri planted a solid kick to the man's chest before following up with another shockwave, knocking out the knight. The remaining knights charged as one force. Yuri slid between the gap created by two of the knights before spinning around and knocking out another with a hard strike to the helmet with the flat of his sword. Another Azure Edge leveled two more knights. With only three remaining, Yuri closed in and blew all three away with a powerful spin strike.

Cumore could only watch in horror at what had happened. To him, everything seemed to have been one blur of motion. In a matter of minutes, Yuri had managed to take out all ten knights without drawing a single drop of blood from his foes.

"Now it's your turn, Cumore," growled Yuri. The captain started shaking uncontrollably before he passed out from fright against a nearby tree. Yuri let out a sigh as he felt the supernatural vision leave him. "They say those who order the death of others are the greatest cowards."

Yuri suddenly felt his vision begin to swim in and out of focus. Before he could do anything to stop it, he fell to the ground as his world faded to black.

-x-

Yuri's eyes slowly opened as he attempted to make sense of what had happened. A quick glance told him all he needed to know. He was back in the jail below Zaphias castle. How he got there remained a complete mystery to him though.

His thoughts turned back to the battle in the Upper Quarter. His vision was fine now, but he still wasn't entirely sure what had happened back there. Then there was that girl with the green hair. She had saved him from certain death; that much he knew for a fact. But that still didn't explain why he suddenly acquired that power or how she managed to move after being run through three times.

Yuri felt around his body for a bit about his wounds he was inflicted with. Feeling surprised, Yuri noticed that he was all patched up. _Strange, never heard of the empire actually nursing their prisoners._ This was odd to him because never before, in all his times in jail, had he been tended to for his health.

As he tried to make sense of what happened, Yuri was pulled from his thoughts by the conversation he heard going on just outside his cell. "So like I was sayin', the thief made off with the priceless treasure from the noble's mansion." Yuri heard a voice of another prisoner speaking next to his cell.

"I know, I know. Then he was caught and the loot was returned, right?"

"No. See, that's just nobility tryin' ta keep things quiet. The treasure in the mansion right now is a fake,"

"You're pulling my leg," stated the guard outside the cell.

"Hey, listen bub, you didn't hear it from me. The Darkwings are goin' nuts lookin' for the hideout."

"You mean the thieves guild?" The knight suddenly realized he had spoken perhaps a bit too loudly. "Ahem, it'll be meal time soon so keep quiet in that cell!"

Yuri shifted so he was sitting on the edge of the bed when he heard the other man's voice. "Hey neighbor! You're awake right? You gotta be getting' tired from keepin' so quiet."

"You think that little story up all by yourself, old man? You must have plenty of time on your hands," answered Yuri.

"Old man? Now you've gone and hurt this old man's feelin's. Besides, I didn't make up nothin'. I've got eyes and ears the world over diggin' up information for me."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Sure you do, old man."

"Hey, I am what I am. Go ahead and ask me somethin'. I'll tell ya whatever ya wanna know. Wanna know about the pirate guild's sunken treasure? How 'bout the sorcerer who makes his home at the ends of the earth? Or wait, I've got it…"

"I just want to know how to get out of here," Yuri interrupted the cell mate.

"Well, I don't know what yer in for, but they'll let ya out if ya keep yer trap shut for ten days."

"The Lower Quarter will be underwater by then," sighed Yuri.

"The Lower Quarter…ah yeah, I heard about that," said the old man.

"I wonder how they're all doing right now."

"Sorry neighbor. That's one piece of dirt I don't have."

"And what am I going to do about that damn Mordio?"

"THE Mordio? You mean to say you've got connections ta the famed mage from Aspio, the City of Scholars?"

Yuri raised a curious eyebrow. Perhaps this old man was his ticket to finding out where he could find that core thief. "Do you know about him?"

"Oho! Want ta know, huh? I'm afraid that's information won't come cheap…"

"The 'famed mage from Aspio, the City of Scholars, right?' I think I got it."

There was a slight rustle on the other side, suggesting that the old man had slipped up without meaning to. "W-wait, that's not true. He's the, uh, head of the gourmet guild! No, wait, uh, it's the uh, I mean…"

The pleasant conversation was suddenly cut off completely by the creaking sound of the door at the entrance. As the footsteps drew near, Yuri's eyes widened in surprise. It was Alexei, Commandant of the Imperial Knights, and for all intents and purposes the right hand man to Emperor Charles zi Britannia. Alexei continued past Yuri's cell and stopped in front of the old man's. Yuri heard the sound of keys jingling on a chain followed by another creaky door opening.

"Out." _Not much for words, are we Commandant?_ thought Yuri.

"Ah well, just when things were getting' good," sighed Yuri's prison mate.

"Hurry up," commanded Alexei.

Shortly afterwards, Alexei passed by the cell with a man wearing a rather bright heavy purple coat. The man had his hair pulled back into a ponytail that stuck out every which way possible. Suddenly the old man _tripped_ right in front of Yuri's cell.

"Just who are you? What does the Commandant of the Imperial Knights want with you?" whispered Yuri.

"Beneath the statue of the goddess…" whispered the old man before he quickly slipped something through the bars swiftly and quietly. Yuri caught a slight glimpse of the object that flew to his hand.

"What are you doing? I said hurry up," said Alexei, clearly very irritated with the old man's stalling.

"All right, easy. I'm coming." The old man took off to catch up with Alexei, leaving Yuri with more questions than answers at the moment. Looking at what the old man left, Yuri realized it was the key to the cells.

"I suppose I did say I was looking for a way out. Still, just who was that guy?" said Yuri aloud. After opening the door, he took a look at the end of the hall and saw the guard on duty was already asleep.

"Glad to see they keep such vigilant watch as always," smirked Yuri. "If I leave now I should be able to check up on the Lower Quarter and be back before the guard wakes."

After a quick check of the chests near the guard station, Yuri managed to locate his sword. He was still surprised that he had ended up in the prison after that last skirmish. Cumore didn't seem to be lying about that new law either. With his track record, Yuri knew Cumore wouldn't hesitate at the chance to put him down for good.

As Yuri climbed the stairs out of the dungeon he emerged into the castle proper. There were at least three guards patrolling the area, meaning that Yuri was going to have to proceed with caution so he didn't send off any alarms.

By sticking close to the shadows, Yuri managed to elude the first guard before quickly dashing up the nearby stairs and avoiding the other two. Thus far, everything had gone smoother than he could have hoped. The stairs led to a large tiled room that was sparsely decorated with the occasional vase or two.

At the sound of footsteps Yuri threw himself behind a nearby pillar to avoid detection. Turning his head ever so slightly, Yuri could see just around the pillar. He saw a girl with pink hair dressed in a blue satin dress holding a saber in her hand. Two knights had effectively cornered her, though they had yet to draw their weapons.

One of the knights stepped forward. "Please, let's put a stop to this. Why don't we just go back?"

"I can't go back now!" replied the girl.

"This is for your own good, Miss, you know that."

"As for the 'incident,'" said the other knight, "we will assume full responsibility and will inform the lieutenant ourselves."

"How can you say that when you haven't done anything to help me?" shot back the girl. One of the knights attempted to close the distance when the girl suddenly pointed her sword right in his face. "Please don't come any closer."

The other knight held up his hands as he tried to calm her down. "Now, now, why don't you put that down? You'll only end up hurting yourself."

"I know how to use a sword!" declared the girl.

"I'm afraid you leave us no choice. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." Yuri saw both knights unsheath their swords. Down the opposite hall Yuri could hear more footsteps approaching.

"There she is! This way!"

_So much for being stealthy. _Yuri sighed from being caught so easily.

"Please, you have to let me go!" pleaded the girl. "I have to warn Flynn!"

Yuri took a second to process what he just heard before making up his mind. Two more knights emerged from the opposite hallway only for both to be decked by an Azure Edge.

"What?" said one of the knights in confusion.

"Flynn? You came to help me!" shouted the girl in delight; thinking that it was Flynn that fired the blast. Upon seeing Yuri, her expression sobered immediately in shock and disappointment. "W-who are you?"

Yuri stepped out of the shadows, his blade resting lazily at his left side.

"Identify yourself!" demanded one of the knights. Yuri didn't see any need to give a response and simply charged in. The first knight was unprepared and was swiftly incapacitated with a whack to the back of the head with the hilt of Yuri's sword. The other knight lunged in only for Yuri to sidestep him and perform the same strike.

Yuri let out a sigh as he sheathed his sword. "Don't they teach these guys manners in knight school anymore?"

Yuri turned when he heard footsteps behind him; only to leap out of the way at the last minute as the pink-haired girl threw a vase where he was just standing.

"Hey! What, are you trying to kill me?"

"Well, you don't belong in the castle, right?" pointed out the girl.

"No, and I'll take it as a compliment that you can tell by looking at me."

"YURI LOWELL! Where are you?" boomed a voice Yuri recognized far better than he wished to remember.

"You foul fugitive! I say, we know you're trying to make your escape!" shouted Adecor.

Yuri groaned on the inside. "Oh please, not them again. I suppose there's no point in going back to the prison cell now."

"Louder, fools! Say it like you mean it!" roared Leblanc.

"Lieutenant Leblanc, your voice is too loud. My ears…" griped Boccos.

"Yuri Lowell? You're one of Flynn's friends aren't you?" said the girl.

"Yeah, why?"

"And you used to belong to the Imperial Knights?"

"Just for three short months," said Yuri. "You hear that from Flynn?" The girl nodded. "Huh, guess he managed to find someone he could talk to at the castle after all. Then again; I wonder what happened to Hisca and Chastel?" Yuri felt a slight shiver come up his spine at the thought of Hisca "Er…never mind." Yuri was about to head down the hallway when the girl blocked his path.

"Yuri, I need to talk to Flynn." Estelle pleaded.

"Hold on just a second. Just who are you supposed to be, anyway?" asked Yuri. "I can tell you know Flynn, but why are you being chased by the Knights?"

"Over here!" came Leblanc's voice. Yuri could hear the footsteps indicating they were getting closer.

"Listen, I want to hear the whole story, but we can't really afford to stand around and chat. First things first, let's get to Flynn's place. Want me to lead the way?"

"Ah, yes," answered the girl.

The two took off through the northern corridor. Even though his stealth escape had been ruined, getting into a fight now would only slow him down. At the moment Yuri had no desire for such a quick reunion with Leblanc and the Tweedles. Motioning for the girl to follow close behind, Yuri slipped past the first guard before ducking into a nearby room to avoid the second one. He cast a quick glance outside and darted down the corridor with the girl. After a climbing a set of stairs, he recognized the hall they were in. It was the same one he and Flynn had roomed in during part of their time in the Imperial Knights.

"I believe it's somewhere around here," said the girl.

"It's this one," motioned Yuri towards the door next to him. He opened the door and allowed the girl to enter first before he followed after her. The room hadn't changed much since the last time Yuri had visited.

"He's really kept this place cleaned up," remarked the raven-haired youth. "If he's not here though, then that probably means he's off gallivanting around somewhere."

"Then…that means I'm too late," sighed the girl.

"So, what sort of wickedness did you do, anyway?" asked Yuri as he took a seat on the bed.

The girl looked at him in surprise. "Me? I haven't done anything wrong."

"And yet a bunch of knights were chasing you around the castle. …Yeah, that makes sense," said Yuri sarcastically.

The girl suddenly became quite flustered. "Um, you see…Yuri!"

"Whoa…what is it?"

"I can't be specific, but Flynn is in terrible danger! I've got to go and warn him."

"So go if you want to go. What's wrong with that?"

"I wish I knew…"

"Listen, I've got something I've got to take care of right away, too. As soon as things quiet down outside I want to get back to the Lower Quarter."

"In that case, would you take me with you? Please? Other than Flynn, there's no one I can depend on. Will you at least help me get out of the castle? Please, I'm begging you."

Yuri let out a sigh. "Okay, I can see you're serious, but why don't you at least tell me your name first."

Just before the girl could answer, the door to the room was kicked off its hinges with a loud crash. The girl let out a short scream of fright before a man with one of the oddest hair styles Yuri had ever seen entered the room. The man had pink hair layered over blonde hair. He wore a set of leather gauntlets and armor and had two short swords sheathed at his back.

"Prepare to fall to my blade!" announced the man. Yuri didn't make an attempt to react, simply looking out the window. The assassin suddenly drew one of his blades and smashed through a series of vases on top of a nearby counter.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" quipped Yuri as he stood up from the bed.

"I am Zagi…the man who will end your life. Now die, Flynn Scifo!"

The man leapt at Yuri, both blades drawn to kill. Yuri barely spun around in time to block Zagi's strike and push the assassin back. Zagi leered menacingly before charging back in for another attack.

"You've got the wrong guy!" shouted Yuri as he tried to hold off Zagi.

"Die."

Yuri pushed him aside and launched his Azure Edge arte. Zagi managed to dodge the arte but it put some distance between the two at least. "You should really learn to listen a little more."

"My name is Zagi. Remember it well, Flynn."

Yuri groaned on the inside. First he was engaged in a battle against a guy he didn't want to fight and second the idiot wouldn't listen. This was starting to become aggravating. "Listen! I'm not Flynn!"

"Hehe, oh what's wrong?" Zagi unleashed a deadly four hit strike that forced Yuri onto the defensive.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" roared Yuri as he continued to trade blows.

"I'm going to kill you and carve your name into my blood!"

Yuri grimaced slightly. "Yeah, that's pretty disgusting."

"Oh yeah, this is gonna be fun!"

Yuri back stepped as Zagi closed in and launched an Azure Edge attack as a countermeasure. The attack managed to disrupt Zagi's rhythm long enough for Yuri to turn the tables. Now Zagi was on the defensive while Yuri was on the offensive. As he continued to press his attack, Yuri managed to pin Zagi against a wall.

"I have you now! Cerberus Strike!" Yuri deflected Zagi's right hand blade before planting three hard punches directly to the assassin's face. The man slashed desperately in front of him forcing Yuri to back off, but not before he unleashed a second Azure Edge, this time connecting perfectly with Zagi's body. The assassin slumped to the ground momentarily before standing back up. At first Yuri thought the man might have been crying but that notion was quickly put down when he suddenly erupted into maniacal laughter.

"Ahh, now I feel it," muttered Zagi.

Yuri cocked an eyebrow. "You feel what? I'm not feeling anything over here."

"Yes, so full of confidence..." Zagi suddenly burst into another fit of maniacal laughter. "That's it! That's it! Now I feel truly alive!"

"What's with you?" shouted Yuri. Before Yuri could say another word, Zagi charged at him faster than any of his previous attacks. Though he had managed to block the strike, Yuri could feel the difference in strength. Zagi was like a completely different person!

"Yuri! Let me help you!" shouted the girl.

"No! Stay away!" Unfortunately, Yuri's warning gave Zagi just the opening he needed as deflected Yuri's blade before planning a slash across Yuri's chest. He followed up the attack with a mighty kick that sent Yuri sliding back a few feet.

"Come on! The more the merrier!" laughed Zagi.

"Yuri!" shouted the girl. She tried to rush over to assist Yuri but Zagi suddenly intervened. The girl raised her sword to defend herself only for it to be swatted away like an annoying fly before Zagi kicked her in the stomach. The girl crumpled as darkness claimed her.

"Damnit!" growled Yuri as he stood back up.

"Ahaha! Come on! Don't disappoint me, Flynn!" shouted Zagi.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not Flynn!" shouted Yuri as he unleashed another Azure Edge. If this guy had a trick up his sleeve, then it looked like Yuri had no choice but to do so as well.

His left eye turned bright red as a sigil appeared where there was once gray before. Yuri may have lost round one, but round two started now.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Second Chapter coming up. Just a heads up though. If i have nothing of great importance to say; then i won't be putting up author's notes. SO don't feel strange if you don't see any. Have at it.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: The Wolf and the Witch<p>

Yuri glared at Zagi as the red sigil in his left eye flared to life. The supernatural vision Yuri inherited began to activate. Yuri turned his attention to girl he was with. He could "see" a pulsing outline of her; which indicated that she was alive but still unconscious. Yuri shifted his attention back to Zagi and prepped for his assault.

Yuri could "see" the increased blood flow as Zagi's muscles tensed for action. Yuri acted dashed forward without a second thought. Zagi charged forward the second Yuri moved and their blades clashed in a flurry of sparks. With his power, Yuri anticipated the following strike of Zagi's left blade and effectively dodged out of the way with a steady back-step. From Zagi's slight stumble forward; Yuri could tell that the assassin wasn't expecting him to react so fast.

Yuri prepared to unleash an attack of his own when he detected the opening Zagi left cleared. "Azure Edge!" Yuri shouted as he released another of his signature blue shockwaves. The attack hit Zagi square in the chest and sent the assassin skidding back a few feet. Before Zagi could react, Yuri closed in and forced him on the defensive.

Yuri found it challenging to keep Zagi pinned down on the offensive even with his Geass' power. However, Yuri didn't back down from his assault for a second. If Zagi got a single opening from Yuri; the battle would have made a drastic turn for the worse.

The two locked blades with a resounding clang before the force of their strikes forced them apart. "Excellent! More I say! I don't know how you suddenly got so much stronger, but I like it!" laughed Zagi manically; the excitement only made him more aggressive.

"Just what the hell is wrong with you?" shouted Yuri. Zagi didn't answer; instead he simply charged at Yuri once again. With his power, Yuri _perceived_ that there was something different about Zagi's attacks. Rather than block, Yuri threw himself to the side just in time to avoid a lightning fast strike that would have placed Zagi behind Yuri for a back strike. Zagi's reckless move allowed for Yuri to make another move.

"Take this!" yelled Yuri. With a low, sweeping slash, Yuri inflicted a wound to both of Zagi's legs. Yuri saw the muscles of Zagi flex, anticipated his counter slash with his right-hand blade, and shifted slightly to the side to completely avoid the attack. Yuri struck a crushing blow to Zagi's stomach and flung him into the air.

The moment Zagi landed on the ground was the chance Yuri got to finish him off. Yuri leapt into the air and came down with a stabbing motion of his sword. He was so close in making contact, but even with Yuri's Geass Zagi was able to roll backwards out of Yuri's capable range. While Zagi stands ready for another assault; Yuri grunts in irritation as he removes the blade from the concrete ground he stabbed it into. Nevertheless; Yuri stood in a ready stance while keeping his composure.

"You've got the wrong guy. Aren't you supposed to know this stuff?" taunted Yuri as he propped his sword over his left shoulder. He could feel his vision return to normal as the red sigil in his left eye was replaced by the typical gray one. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pink-haired girl slowly get back to her feet.

"Gah, details, details! Bring it!" roared Zagi as he stood up fully.

"This guy's nuts," stated Yuri. "Flynn sure has made some interesting enemies."

Suddenly another figure entered the room. He wore a blue, full-body cloak and had a pair of wicked looking blades protruding from under his sleeves. The most distinct feature though, was the man's vivid red eyes.

"Zagi, we're leaving. The Knights are onto us," ordered the man. Much to the surprise of both Yuri and the girl, Zagi spun on a dime and struck the man in the head with the hilt of one of his blades.

As the man shook off the pain, he glared at Zagi. "How dare you!"

Zagi simply laughed. "Hahaha! Mind your own business! I'm just getting to the best part!"

The man let out a _tsk_ at Zagi's statement. "Hurry, before the Knights get here. Or would you rather have your fun end today?" Zagi cast one last look at the cloaked man before shredding him to pieces with three slashes. Yuri saw Zagi give him one last glance before slipping out the door.

Yuri let out sigh; he was just glad that was over. The girl brushed off her dress before coming over to join him. "You okay?" asked Yuri.

"Y-yes. Thank you."

Yuri nodded. "We should be getting a move on too. We'll just go pay a visit to the goddess and be on our way."

The girl fidgeted for a moment. "Yuri…I, um…"

"Yeah I know. We'll stick together until we're out of the castle."

"Oh. Right. But I was going to say, my name is Estellise."

"Well then Estellise, let's get moving," said Yuri. He didn't get two steps out the door before Estellise stopped him.

"Wait! Let me take care of that wound for you." A golden light surrounded her momentarily before wrapping around Yuri's chest. When he looked down, the wound was completely gone.

"Thanks, now we should probably get going."

"We can't just leave the door like that…"

Yuri looked at her as though she were joking but saw that Estellise was completely serious. "I really don't think this is the time to worry about something like that."

"But…"

Yuri let out a sigh. He could see she wasn't going to budge on this. "All right, all right. Just give me a minute." After a minute or so of lining the door up, Yuri managed to get the thing back on its hinges well enough so that it at least didn't look like someone had kicked the door down. Yuri took a brief moment to admire his handiwork before turning back to Estellise.

"There, good as new. Now let's get going."

Estellise nodded. "Ah, okay."

The pair made their way down the hall without little issue. The Knights were nowhere to be seen at the moment, much to Yuri's surprise. As they entered another large tiled room, the two headed west until they emerged on a balcony overlooking the fountain located in the center of the castle. There was a huge amount of commotion going on below as knights ran back and forth frantically.

"I wonder if this is because of those guys earlier," mused Yuri. "They better not try to pin this on me too."

"I hope nobody was hurt."

Yuri suppressed the irritation in his voice. "Don't worry about the Knights. They'll make sure to protect themselves."

"Yes…I guess so."

"YURI LOWELL! Where are you hiding?" came a familiar voice.

"That must be Leblanc," said Yuri. "I'd recognize those dulcet tones anywhere."

"Do the two of you know each other?"

_That's one way of putting it_, thought Yuri with a smirk. "We have a bit of a history. Come on, let's hurry." Estellise didn't take more than two steps before she tripped on her dress. "We should do something about your clothes. You'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"My room is just up ahead," offered Estellise. "I have a change of clothes there."

"Okay, that'll work."

After a quick jaunt around the balcony and down another corridor, the two arrived at a white door.

"This is my room," stated Estellise. "I'll go get changed, just give me a minute."

"Got it. Try to be quick about it."

Estellise set her sword outside the room before she went in. Before Yuri could get a chance to inspect the sword, the door swung open again only for her to grab the sword.

"Just in case," she said.

"It's not like I was going to peek."

"Flynn did tell me to be careful if I ever met you."

Yuri let out a sigh. "Thanks Flynn."

A few minutes passed before Estellise finally emerged from her room in a white and pink travel dress. She gave a quick twirl before she turned to face Yuri.

"There, all finished."

_Is this her idea of being discreet? _Yuri thought. He must have been unable to hide the surprise on his face since Estellise seemed to notice it.

"W-what? Do I look strange?"

"It's nothing. I was just thinking…this look really doesn't suit you either."

"Really?" She seemed surprised. She did not seriously think she was being subtle with that outfit, did she? Estellise walked over and held out her hand to Yuri.

"What's this?" asked Yuri as he looked at the hand questioningly.

"A handshake. It means, 'nice to meet you.'"

"All right then, let's get going."

"Thanks!"

_Just what have I gotten myself into?_ Yuri thought as they walked down the hall. From what the old man said, there was a statue with the goddess somewhere here that had either a secret passage or some secret to getting out of here. Despite the number of times he had broken out of jail, Yuri couldn't remember running into any statue of the goddess or really any statue period. He could only hope that it was at the end of one of these halls.

"Say Yuri," spoke up Estellise. "You were a Knight once, right?"

"Didn't you already say you heard about me from Flynn?"

"…Well…it's just…you don't seem to know your way around the castle well…" The girl suddenly gasped. "Are you an imposter?"

Yuri could only roll his eyes at the statement. "That's some imagination you've got there. Why would I want to impersonate a regular guy from the Lower Quarter?"

"I…I guess you're right," sighed Estellise.

"Come on. Let's go before we're caught by the castle guards."

After going down a flight of stairs and one last hallway, the two entered an atrium at the end. Yuri smirked upon seeing a stone pedestal with a glass statue of a goddess resting atop it. _This has to be what the old man was referring to._

"I just wanted to check on the Lower Quarter and come back. I didn't expect the extra baggage," mused Yuri as he examined the statue.

"Baggage? I could take it to the castle's lost and found for you," offered Estellise.

"You're the one person I couldn't really ask to take care of it."

"Huh?"

Yuri let out a sigh. "Nevermind, I'm good."

"Okay, let me know if you change you're mind."

_I guess she's the textbook "naïve, little noble." But why were those Knights chasing her in the first place?_ Yuri thought. _The old man said to search beneath the statue of the goddess._ Upon closer inspection, Yuri noticed a groove in the ground that sunk just a bit lower than the surrounding area.

"Is there something about this statue?" asked Estellise when she noticed how focused Yuri was.

"It's supposed to have some sort of secret," answered Yuri.

"It doesn't look like there's anything particularly secretive about it."

"I think if we move it, we'll see otherwise." Yuri gripped the pedestal tightly and gave a good pull. Much to his delight, the pedestal shifted smoothly along the groove to reveal a ladder leading beneath the castle.

Estellise let out an audible gasp of surprise. "It really worked!"

"What do we have here? It looks like the old man was right after all."

"Do you think this will lead outside?"

Yuri shrugged his shoulders. "I can't guarantee it. Either way, I'm going down. How about you?"

"I-I'm coming too."

"That's pretty brave of you," remarked Yuri. "Who was that guy, anyway? There was something shady about him." Before Yuri could start down the ladder Estellise grabbed Yuri's wrist with both her hands. He gave her a confused look. "What is it? Did you change your mind?"

She shook her head. "No, you hand – it's injured. Let me take a look at it." The same golden light appeared around her momentarily before healing his hand. Upon a closer look, Yuri noticed there was something peculiar about that healing arte. He quickly grabbed her wrist only for Estellise to immediately recoil from his grip.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'd never seen a blastia like that. I-I wasn't thinking."

Estellise gave him a scrutinizing look. "That's really all it was?"

"That's really all it was. My hand feels better. Thanks."

"No, it's the least I could do."

Yuri motioned to the ladder. "Shall we?" He glanced over and saw that Estellise still seemed hesitant about something. "What's the matter?"

"Are there many people outside the castle like that man Zagi we met earlier?"

"Nah, he's one of a kind. It's pretty hard to find anyone that nuts," reassured Yuri.

"I see. Well that's a relief. I don't know what I'd do if everyone behaved like that…"

"Yeah, life would be pretty rough if the world were full of guys like him. You coming?"

"Yes," said Estellise.

The ladder led to a passageway suspended over a body of water. From the sound of constant flowing water as well as the set of drains, Yuri could only guess that this was the sewer system for the castle and perhaps the Upper Quarter. He also noted there were a couple monsters that had infested the area.

"Are those…monsters?" asked Estellise.

"You've never seen one before?" She tried to come up with an answer but was clearly embarrassed. "These guys are nothing compared to some of the ones you'll see outside the barrier. Just leave them to me."

A set of overgrown rats charged towards the two intruders only to be completely blown away by a blue shockwave. The two proceeded through the sewers without exchanging much in the way of words. All they wanted to do is get out of the underground passage as soon as possible.

After the brief walk, Yuri and Estellise reached the ladder on the other side. Much to Yuri's surprise, the two emerged in the Upper Quarter in front of the same manor he had been at earlier to try and catch Mordio. The area was completely clean, as if a battle had never even happened there earlier that day.

"Man it's bright," said Yuri as he shielded his eyes with his hand. "It's already morning. I wasted an entire night."

Estellise didn't seem to here Yuri as she looked around her in awe. "Everything looks so different from the windows of the castle."

Yuri looked at her in disbelief. "Ah, come on. You sound like this is your first time out of the castle."

"Uh…well…I…"

"I guess a lady who lives in a castle can't just take a walk outside whenever she wants."

"Y-yes, you're right."

Yuri gave her a reassuring smile and held up his hand. "Well, hey. At least we made it out of the castle." Estellise looked at the gesture slightly confused before she walked up and pressed her index finger into his palm. Yuri couldn't suppress his laughter.

"Um…was that not right?"

"Nah, it's fine. So Estellise, what are you going to do now that you're out?"

"I'm going to find Flynn," stated Estellise.

"Do you know where he went?"

"The other day he said he was going off on a knight's pilgrimage."

"Ohh, that thing," sighed Yuri. "Going around the cities of the Empire piling up good deeds?"

"Yes, that's why I'm going to the City of Blossoms, Halure. Halure is the first place that knight's traditionally visit on a pilgrimage."

"So you'll need to go outside the barrier."

"Have you ever been beyond the barrier?" asked Estellise.

"A little while back. I'd like to go but I can't just leave the Lower Quarter like it is," replied Yuri. "Come on. I'll show you the way out of town. It's on the way to the Lower Quarter."

"Thank you!"

Yuri led the way back through the royal quarter and down the steps to the central district. Estellise didn't say a word as she continued to turn around as they walked, trying to take in as many of the sights and sounds of the capital as possible.

However, Yuri was lost in his own thoughts at the moment. There were so many things that didn't make sense at the moment. Who was Zagi and why was he after Flynn? Who exactly is Estellise? And who was that green-haired girl? So many things happened at once and there was not enough time to collect his thoughts properly. Yuri simply let out a sigh of frustration; feeling that getting distressed over it now is not a good idea. Nothing ever seemed to be simple in his life, but he would have to deal with it later.

Yuri was shaken out of his thoughts by a familiar pair of voices. "You there, fugitive! Halt, I say!"

"The jig is up!" seconded Boccos.

"Fools! Enough grandstanding, arrest him!" criticized Leblanc.

"Yuri, what should we do?" asked Estellise.

"First you pick up one of these," said Yuri as he scooped up a pair of rocks, "then you go like this!" Yuri chucked both rocks, each one hitting the Tweedles squarely in the forehead. "Come on, let's get to the Lower Quarter."

The two hurried down the winding path leading back to the Lower Quarter before arriving back in the plaza. Yuri let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that the water level seemed to have receded drastically.

"Yuri! Where've you been?" called out Hanks.

"I got an invitation to the castle and had the most marvelous time there," joked Yuri.

"Of all the…then who's the young lady?" pointed out Hanks.

Estellise walked down and gave a short bow to the old timer. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Estellise."

Hanks smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss." Hanks turned his attention back to Yuri. "More importantly, about those Imperial Knights. They've been so busy looking for you they haven't paid any attention to our fiasco down here. So you've really managed to tick 'em off, huh?"

"It looks that way. Has Repede come back yet?"

"Sure did. And he was carryin' some bag."

"What happened to it?"

"It should be up in your room."

Yuri allowed himself a small smirk. "Go pick it up later. Give it a shake. It has a nice jingle to it. Mordio liked it to."

"You met Mr. Mordio?"

"Yeah, but the rat left town. Apparently he's someone important from a place called Aspio."

"'Left town?' Then that means we've been hoodwinked," sighed Hanks dejectedly.

"Afraid so. His house was empty and I doubt he's even a real noble"

"I see."

Yuri tried to change the subject. "It looks like the aque blastia's stopped leaking water."

"Well, without the core, it won't budge."

"Is there enough water for the time being?"

"Yeah, but it won't last long. After that we'll just get it from the river. Get the runs, though." Yuri saw Hanks visibly shiver momentarily at the thought.

"And the Knights aren't going to help. Guess I'll go get it back from the thief myself."

"What? You aren't thinking of following Mordio beyond the barrier, are ya?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it."

A relaxed smile set in to Hanks's face. "Humph. Who's worried? This is a good opportunity for ya. No need for ya to hurry back here."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is we can get along just fine without ya. Even Flynn used to say, 'I wonder how long Yuri plans on living this life.'"

"Flynn needs to learn to mind his own business," sighed Yuri. Yuri motioned for Estellise to follow and the two made their way to the exit. They didn't get too far though, before the dulcet tones of Leblanc rang through the air.

"Yuri Lowell! You've given my two lackeys a headache! Now be a good boy and turn yourself in!"

"Well that's our cue. Looks like I won't be coming back here for a while." Yuri was about to turn around to leave when a recognizable flash of green color caught his attention. He immediately focused his attention over near the fountain and saw the same girl from earlier sitting lazily against the aque blastia. Yuri knew for a fact that this was the same girl he encountered when he got his power.

Without thinking about what he was doing; Yuri ran past Hanks over to where the girl was sitting. He abruptly grabbed her by the wrist and gave a slight tug to catch her attention. She merely looked at him with that same bored expression he remembered from the alleyway.

"My, someone's very forward." She commented lazily with a small smirk.

"Oh please," Yuri rolled his shoulders and bowed his head. "I just need you to come with me. I have some questions for you about earlier."

"Yuri Lowell!" shouted Leblanc as he ran forward.

"Please." Yuri had to put great strain on the word to show the urgency of his request.

The woman sighed and her smirk turned into a small smile; as if feeling content. "Well I suppose travelling with you would be somewhat interesting." The woman dropped her smile for a brief moment to prompt a footnote to Yuri. "Even so, don't expect me to be pulled into your adventure. I go where I want when I want. For now though-" Her smile blank expression returns to her once she looked up towards the direction Leblanc was coming from. "It would not be good for me to be seen by the likes of them."

"Yuri, come on!" Estellise called.

"Then let's hurry along before we got caught and thrown back to jail." Yuri said; returning to his usual behavior.

The girl didn't protest in the slightest when Yuri picked her up and dragged her with him by the wrist. Though a bit confused, Hanks couldn't help but laugh.

"Never a dull moment with Yuri around. After this, I'll be even with ya for getting that money back."

"Just make sure you don't kick the bucket blowing it on some crazy party," replied Yuri as he flashed the old man a confident smirk.

"Heh, same to you. See that you don't go dying in any ditches." Yuri nodded and took off down the road, his right hand still tightly gripping the girl's wrist. Estellise blinked in confusion at what had just happened.

"Wait for me!" She gave another quick bow to Hanks. "It was nice to meet you sir."

Hanks could only let out a tired sigh. "Ah, he'll probably be quite a pain in the neck. You make sure to take care of yourself now."

Before Leblanc could even get close to apprehending Yuri, a swarm of people suddenly blocked his path.

"Hey, Sir Knight, when are you going to fix the fountain?" "Wow, cool! A knight!" "Won't you help this old man find his dentures?"

"Fools! You're in my way! Do not interfere with the affairs of the empire!" shouted Leblanc as he fruitlessly tried to push through the swarm of people. Yuri couldn't help but grin at the scene. Suddenly he, Estellise, and the green-haired girl were swept up in another throng of people that continued to push him closer to the exit.

Yuri struggled to get lose from the crowd while still having the green-haired woman in toll. While doing so; he could hear the people crammed around him speaking to him. "Don't you make her cry!" chastised a female voice.

"What are you talking about? Hey, stop pushing! Who hit me? I'm gonna get you back for that!" shouted Yuri as he tried to fight against the flow of people.

"This might come in handy if you're going to Halure." Yuri saw Lyle flash him a quick smile before he pressed a large folded parchment into Yuri's hand. "It's a map of the surrounding area. You'll want to head north to Deidon Hold from here if you want to reach Halure." The throng dispersed just as the three neared the exit of Zaphias.

"Wow Yuri, everyone is going to miss you so much," said Estellise.

"Honestly, they're probably thrilled to finally be rid of me." Yuri noticed a lump in his chest that wasn't there before. Reaching into the folds of his clothes, he found a satchel filled with Gald. "Hey! Who put money in here? I can't take this!" Yuri dashed back to give back the money when he saw Leblanc heading straight for him. "Guess I'll have to keep it for now."

"Yuri Lowell, halt!" Leblanc rounded the corner only to be tripped up by the tail of a blue dog. Leblanc could have sworn the dog looked like it was smirking before it made its way over to Yuri.

"Nice one, Repede," complimented Yuri.

"A dog?"

"Well, for now it's north to Deidon Hold."

"What? Oh, right."

"I'm not sure how long we'll be together, but here's to the road ahead Estelle."

"Yes, I…huh? Es…telle? Estelle…Estelle." She repeated the name as though she were trying to affirm her identity. "To the road ahead, Yuri!"

"Well, so long for now."

"We hope to be back soon!"

-x-

Even outside the capital, the group found themselves running a great deal of the distance until they reached the bridge that spanned the river just north of Zaphias. Satisfied that they were far enough out to avoid being caught by any Imperial Knights; Yuri took a moment to catch his breath. Estelle was doing the same while the green-haired girl knelt down and gave Repede a quick scratch behind the ears.

Yuri wanted to ask the girl some questions, but at the same time he didn't want Estelle to overhear any of this at the moment. He could only imagine her response when he pointed out that the green-haired girl had been killed right before him already. That was a mess he wanted to avoid if at all possible.

"Hey Estelle," said Yuri. "Why don't you and Repede go and scout out the area ahead for a minute, just in case there are any particularly worrisome monsters or knight patrols we need to avoid."

"You would send a woman who knows not the outside world to scout?" The enigmatic woman said.

"True." Yuri pouted his head a bit to collect his thoughts on what to do next. He lifted his head back up and snapped his fingers like an idea clicked in his head. "Estelle, you stay here with Repede while I go with my friend here to look around."

"Ok then. Be careful Yuri." Estelle pleaded. Repede gave out a satisfying bark to confirm his understanding of Yuri's request. With the plan settled, Yuri and his new odd friend walk around and scan the area, but the purpose of this was to speak with her.

"Well that worked surprisingly well for such an obvious attempt to be alone with me." quipped the girl while her gaze upon Yuri tightened a bit in a glamorous fashion.

Yuri knew this was her way of teasing him, but he wanted to get straight to the point. "Sorry, let's put the joking around to the side for a bit." Yuri tensed his gaze to show his serious business stature. "Who are you?" asked Yuri.

"Straight to the point, aren't we?" The girl didn't flinch for a moment under Yuri's hard gaze. "C.C."

"C.C.?" repeated Yuri.

"My name." the girl replied.

"Funny name to have, just initials." Yuri replied.

"And what about you?" C.C. replied. "Your name sounds like something related to two women who really like each other as more than friends or a farm boy that works the land." Yuri was not amused by her joke. Feeling that the subject is going to well; C.C. changed the topic. "Tell me Yuri, how do you like your new power?"

"So you were the one who gave that to me. I mean, I saw you in a way, but it happened so fast that I couldn't tell what was going on." said Yuri. "How are you alive? I saw get impaled by three different swords. Even if someone came and tried to heal you right away; you were pretty far gone since they were fatal blows."

"Are you disappointed I'm alive?" asked C.C. with a mischievous smile.

"It's not normal to see some girl get stabbed killed and walk around the next day like nothing happened," replied Yuri. The power in his eye came to thought and Yuri instinctively grasped the area where it would activate. "What exactly is this power you gave me?"

"The power of the king. It is also known as Geass." C.C. then turned away and flicked her hair out behind her. "Are you done with your questions?"

"Not quite. Why did you save my life?"

There was a moment of silence in which neither spoke until C.C. finally sighed. "A clash of chaos, order, and revolt exist as of now. When I my eye caught you in sight; I thought perhaps you can help change the undesirable outcome this world would face if it continues as such.

Yuri turned around and waved aside her comment. "Right, some normal guy from the Lower Quarter is going to go and change the world. Anything else you see in your crystal ball?" C.C. didn't say anything and just reclined against the bark of a nearby tree. "If you want to back to Zaphias, now's your chance. I can't say I have any desire to hold you or uphold this outrageous bargain you made for me.

"For the record I could've escaped and run off on my own, but I chose to come with you." C.C. propped herself up off the tree and strolled over to Yuri's side. "I think I'll travel with you a bit longer. You and I have a contract, Yuri Lowell. I will see that it is carried out." Yuri let out a sigh in discomfort.

"Fine by me." With the agreement settled, they returned back to the bridge where Estelle and Repede awaited them. A distant bark caught his attention when he saw Estelle and Repede sat down on the railing. "You guys alright?"

"Yes, but-" Estelle walked over to Repede, but he walked away to distance himself from her. "Repede~" Estelle whined. Repede instead sat down next to C.C. and waited for her to pet him. Sensing Repede's desire; C.C. pats his head and scratched behind his ears. Estelle grew jealous when she bore witness to Repede's content expression. "Oh, I will get you to like me!"

"Take it easy Estelle." Yuri said to calm Estelle down. "Repede is the type of dog to come to you, so just take your time with him. For now, let's get going to Deidon Hold." Before Yuri took a step away from the bridge; he remembered something he should have done before. "Ah, I realize I never introduced either of you. C.C., this is Estelle. Estelle, C.C." Not paying any mind to Estelle and C.C.'s exchange of words; Yuri took the lead with Repede walking along right at his side while Estelle and C.C. trail behind a little bit.

"Ah, so C.C., how do you and Yuri know each other?" asked Estelle.

"He and I met yesterday in an alleyway," replied C.C.

"Oh, I see. I thought perhaps you and he knew each other for longer than that."

"Oh? What made you think that?"

"Well, the way he just grabbed your wrist made it seem like…"

"Like he and I were close? I suppose you could say we are," teased C.C.

"W-what do you mean?"

"He and I have a binding contract."

"A contract? Like a business deal?" offered Estelle.

"No, something much more personal that that," smiled C.C.

Estelle gasped. "You mean like…marriage?"

Yuri felt an eerie wind from the conversation behind him and turned around to intervene for a bit. "What are you two talking about?" asked Yuri.

"Oh Yuri, I'm so happy for you! That's wonderful news!" Estelle got all excited and started to shake Yuri's hand vigorously in joy.

Yuri looked at Estelle in complete and utter confusion. "What are you talking about? Just what did C.C. tell you?" Yuri snatched his hand away from Estelle's grasp and placed it on his hip.

"I simply told her we had a binding contract," replied the green-haired girl nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah, I guess we do," said Yuri as he gave her a stern look.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" said Estelle.

"Man, I do not get either of these girls at all." muttered Yuri to Repede as he turned back to the trail. The hound simply seconded Yuri's frustration with a whine.

The sun was just moving to its highest position in the sky to indicate it was noon. Yuri cast one glance at the map. They still had quite a ways to go until they reached Deidon Hold.

-x-

Back at the castle, one of the many princes that lived inside was feeling irritated by the sudden activity in the castle halls. The prince looked in his mid-twenties with blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He carried a cold yet charismatic aura around him with his interactions with anyone; even his own brothers and sisters.

One knight is present in his office for the purpose of explaining to the prince the events that occurred. The prince was less than pleased with what he heard. "What do you mean she's disappeared?"

"I'm sorry your highness. From the reports issued by the other knights; it sounds like the man Captain Schwann had apprehended yesterday in the royal quarter abducted her. Please forgive me."

"At ease." The prince raised his hand with an easing gesture to calm the knight's apprehension. "I am not going to punish you for something that was beyond your power."

"Ah, I am unworthy of your grace, Prince Schneizel." The knight bowed respectively at the prince.

Schneizel sat back for a moment as he tried to determine the best course of action according to the events given. At the moment, things were perfectly fine. However, if Estellise had been abducted and they knew the truth; then the empire could easily be held up for ransom. He dare not think what would happen if his father, Emperor Charles, found out what had happened.

Schneizel stood up from the chair and walked over to the window that looked out over the royal garden just outside. "Do you have the report regarding the suspected kidnapper?" Schneizel asked calmly.

"Y-yes, your highness. Here it is." The knight puts a folder containing files on a certain individual on Schneizel's desk. "The man is regular trouble maker from the Lower Quarter by the name of Yuri Lowell."

"Yuri Lowell," muttered Schneizel as he noted the name. He returned to his desk and flipped through the pages of the report; slightly surprised by what he found. The man had something of a track record for causing problems for the Knights and nobles at every turn. What surprised Schneizel in particular was to see that Yuri had also served in the Imperial Knights for three short months.

_The Niren Brigade._ thought Schneizel as he recollected his memories of the man. Captain Niren Fedrock was a great Imperial Knight with a distinguished record. When he was younger, Schneizel remembered meeting the man on several different occasions and gatherings for the Knights. The man was beloved by his brigade and commanded a great deal of respect from the other captains and even Commandant Alexei; until his death that is.

_What's this?_ The prince's eyes were turned to another fact that appeared of interest. Apparently Flynn Scifo and Yuri Lowell were in the same brigade during that time. Both came from the Lower Quarter as well; it wouldn't be presumptuous on Schneizel's end to assume that the two knew each other; perhaps were even childhood friends. It had been Schneizel that had urged Flynn to take his pilgrimage now while the tensions between the guilds and the empire were at their most lax. Looking over the details more thoroughly; Schneizel concluded that Estellise, at the moment, was likely in safe hands. Until the Knights could safely get a hold of her, then he would have to trust in Yuri Lowell; even if trusting a criminal seemed outlandish.

"Prince Schneizel!" He turned to see another knight panting at the door, a letter clutched in his hand. "Urgent news! I was told to deliver it directly to you and only you, Your Highness!"

Schneizel set down the report regarding Yuri Lowell on a mahogany countertop and opened the letter. His eyes flared in surprise upon seeing what he just read. Things had just gotten much worse.

_Heh, if I don't do something about this, Cornelia will have my head._ thought Schneizel with an amused smile. _Nevertheless, this is bad. If we don't handle this properly, we may very well start a civil war between the Emperor and the Council._

-x-

Yuri smiled as they finally stepped past the wooden fence into Deidon Hold. It wasn't really a small. More like an outpost than a full-size town or city. Its purpose was to protect the capital from the potentially vicious monsters that lay beyond the massive drawbridge on the north end of town. Due to its prime location between the capital and Halure though, the town had come to thrive as a trading checkpoint of sorts. Many caravans passed through here and in turn there were a large number of goods for sale regularly. Still, the hold was an outpost of the Empire, so it didn't surprise Yuri to see several Imperial Knights standing around the gate.

"Do you think those Knights followed you here, Yuri?" asked Estelle.

"I wonder. Well, let's do our best not to stand out," replied Yuri.

"It's not like you have a propensity for trouble or anything," C.C. jested with a sly smile.

"The same could be said for you," countered Yuri with reference to their encounter in the Upper Quarter. She didn't seem to notice, or rather, she paid no mind to his counter.

Estelle looked slightly confused, but brushed it aside. "Okay. I just want to catch up with Flynn as soon as I can."

"All right, let's see if we can just pass through the hold," said Yuri. They didn't get far before a worn book lying atop a wagon distracted Estelle. "Where is she off to now?"

"I'll take care of her," said C.C. "Why don't you see about passing through the gate?"

"Thanks. I'll take you up on that offer." The two parted ways while Yuri crossed the streets to the massive gate. As he got closer, he overheard some of the other merchants talking amongst themselves.

"Man, I wish the Knights would let us pass through."

"They're not stopping you exactly, bub. They just aren't going to escort you to Halure with the crazy monsters roaming about out there."

"Monsters, huh?" said Yuri aloud. "That could prove to be a problem. Repede, go back and stay with C.C. and Estelle. I'm going to head up to the ramparts and see if I can get a better view of the situation." Repede let out a bark of confirmation before dashing back to the wagon near the entrance.

Yuri ducked into a nearby food storage unit and climbed the ladder leading to the ramparts that overlooked the northern portion of the hold. He was surprised to see someone else was already waiting atop the ramparts, looking out over the northern plains. The man had long white hair and a set of red and black clothes. His dignified stature made Yuri think he was very wise, but also slightly intimidating. Yuri came and stood a few feet away, earning him a glance from the man. Off in the distance, Yuri could spot a massive dust cloud and several large monsters around it.

"Here to see about getting through as well?" asked Yuri.

"No," replied the man with a deep voice. "I am merely observing humanity at work and their tenacious attachment to this life." The man took Yuri's silence as an invitation to continue. "Why? Why must humans live the lives they do? They fight for a share of monopolized technology and hurt even those closest to them."

"Are you talking about blastia?" offered Yuri. The man replied with a frustrated sigh. Yuri looked back at the man curiously. "I can't speak for anyone else, but it doesn't seem to me like there's any reason we get dumped into the world. But once you're here, you just do what you can to give this life everything you've got."

The man gave one glance at Yuri before giving him a response for his answer. "Perhaps there is truth in what you say." With that, the man slowly departed without another word.

Yuri simply rested his hand on his hip wondering what exactly that was all about. "They say the heat can make people go a little crazy." Yuri returned to the lower level and saw C.C., Estelle, and Repede waiting for him. "Did you guys hear about the monsters?"

"Yes, the merchant near the entrance told us that was why he was stuck here for the time being," said Estelle.

"That doesn't mean we have to be though," replied C.C.

"What do you mean?" asked Estelle.

"The gate is still open, isn't it? Who's to stop us from simply going about our way?"

"That's a fair point. Besides, a small group can avoid monsters easier than a caravan of wagons," said Yuri. No sooner had they approached the bridge leading to the gate than a bell rang out over the surrounding area. "Great. What now?" Yuri had the urge to throw his sword over his head, but he felt that he was going to need it soon enough.

Yuri watched as the scene in front of him unfolded. Several knights began to scramble around the area; all of which were directing the civilians to safety and getting the ones outside the gate back inside. What he didn't expect was to see three faces that he never thought he would see outside of Zaphias.

His friends back in the knights appeared into the scene. Two were female twins with reddish-orange hair dressed in similar colored uniform like the Niren brigade. "Hisca…and Chastel?" Yuri muttered to himself as he saw the two knights speed by with their leader in front. The other was male with brown hair and a good physical guild to match his speed. His dress code was that of a captain Lieutenant; showing that he is in charge of the squad that's with him. Yuri recognized him as well. "And Suzaku too?" While they rushed to the scene; Yuri had a slight reminiscing feeling from four years ago when he was still in the knights back at Shizontania. That was when the four of them and Flynn were in the same squad.

"Yuri!" Estelle shouted to snap Yuri out from the recalling of his memory. Yuri shook his head out of its funk and found himself back to reality. Estelle found Yuri's hand grip her wrist and they bolt away from sight behind the carriage. The last thing Yuri wanted is to be caught by the knights; especially those that he knows of. So they stayed out of the mess that consumed the area. C.C. found her way to their side; so Yuri didn't have to tell her to stay out as well.

"Archers! Ready your arrows!" Suzaku shouted while he unsheathes his sword. "Take out the main charge! They will retreat once they are down!" Suzaku sounded more like a commander with great respect rather than a Lieutenant. He turned around to face Hisca and Chastel who waiting diligently for his orders. "You two go with the other knights and help get the people inside. I'll fight off any monster that gets too close."

"Y-Yes sir!" Hisca and Chastel saluted at the same time. They stutter in their sentence showed that they were uneasy about Suzaku's arrangements about him going in alone to fight.

Yuri, overhearing Suzaku's words, sprung to his feet and turned to C.C. "Keep Estelle down would you."

"And why would you ask me such a request?" C.C. gestured to Estelle with a raised eyebrow. Yuri didn't respond to her question and instead stormed off to the crowd. Estelle was about to go storming off as well, but C.C. grabbed hold of her firmly so she wouldn't leave. "I guess I can't argue now."

"Let me go! I need to help!" Estelle struggled to get lose, but it was futile as the immortal witch pulls her back. "Hey!"

"Let Yuri handle things. You need to stay put so you don't get caught in this mess." C.C. ordered with a blank expression. In the end, Estelle submitted to C.C.'s control and sits quietly behind the carriage with C.C.

While Hisca and Chastel helped the people get the people inside the fortress; Yuri sprung pass them without either twin knowing and outside the gate to where Suzaku stormed off to fight. It only took a few moments to see Suzaku fighting a few monsters that are going at it with him. Yuri sped up more to catch up to him.

Suzaku is armed with a set of battle greaves for his legs and a bladed armguard on his right arm as a backup. So his fighting style mostly consisted of flurrying kicks and fast strikes. In his current situation of being surrounded; those traits are good to have since he is nimble on his feet.

The first monster charged forward from the side towards Suzaku. Suzaku back steps lightly enough so the wolf can run pass him and he could deliver a strong counter. He did so by landing a punishing upper cut kick to it' underbelly and flings it towards a couple of Rhinossus' that were going to attack at once. Three monsters were down for the count, but there were many more before he could relax.

Two more came from the front and leaped up to the air for a diving attack. Suzaku leapt up after them, kicks one down, stabs the other with his blade, and lands gently on his feet with a gracious stance while the other two monsters fell to the ground with a thud.

Sadly, this was only a prelude to what Suzaku had to face next. To Suzaku's surprise, all the monsters started to scatter from the area and run away even though the main charge has yet to fall. Booming footsteps can be heard from his side; a direction where fear lurked for Suzaku when his heart skipped a few beats. He turned to see what he didn't expect to confront so soon. A giant bull-like creature of blue fur and two imposing horns, The Lord of the Plains himself.

Suzaku shook the fear off of him and took the initiative against the mighty beast that stood before him. He leaps up above the beast and drops down with crushing ferocity. "Eagle Fall!" Suzaku shouted as the aer generated around him for a more devastating blow to be delivered.

To his dismay, the beast curled up and sprung out forcefully while giving a great, powerful, roar. This caused Suzaku's attack to get canceled out and he flew across the field towards a rock formation that protruded from the ground. Suzaku's back impacts the rocky surface and he falls to the dirt face first.

"Damn." Suzaku cursed as he tries to get up, but the force of that attack caused a lot of strain on his body just to stay conscious. It was hard enough as it is to breathe; never mind move. Suzaku managed to get enough force of will to look up and see the massive creature come charging at him from the distance. "Is…this it?" Suzaku mumbled to himself as he shuts his eyes; ready to accept his demise that is too come with no power to change it.

The beast was only seconds away from impact, but a blue shockwave suddenly came out of nowhere and struck the Lord of the Plains across its face. The mighty beast fell to its side; feeling disoriented from the sudden attack. Suzaku heard the struggles of the beast and opened his eyes for one quick glance. Suzaku couldn't see clearly with his blurred vision, but he could see a silhouette of a man come rushing at him while the beast struggled form behind.

Suzaku could hear him speak, but couldn't make out what he was saying fully. "Are…crazy…idiot! …hell…moron...babysit…" He thought it was some kind of ghost that is haunting him, but somehow the voice was recognizable to him. His thoughts of it being a ghost diminished as he felt the man picked him up above his shoulder and carry him away until he lost consciousness.

The man of which Suzaku encountered was Yuri, who had to fight his way through crowds of monster so he could get his reckless friend out of this predicament. The people were inside and the gates were about to close. Yuri had to sprint faster than he ever could to reach the gate in time before he gets stuck to tango with the Lord of the Plains; who had risen up just now and started chasing them.

"Everyone standby! Lieutenant Suzaku is on his way!" Hisca shouted to the knight with the gate controls.

"Wait." Chastel examined the man that is carrying Suzaku on his shoulder. "Is that Yuri!"

"Yuri?" Hisca turned to look across the field and see Yuri and Suzaku. "What is he doing here!" Examines the scene behind them and sees the main charge coming back at them along with the Lord of the Plains. "Uh oh." Hisca turned to knights that were awaiting orders. "Archers! Continue firing! Gate keeper, close it just enough for the two men to get through!" All the knights did as they were told while Hisca and Chastel stood by in front of the entrance.

"Oh man!" Yuri shouted once he was a mere few yards from the gate that was dead close to being shut. "This is going to be close!" Yuri took a last resort move and threw Suzaku's body pass the entry so that Yuri could do a sliding motion pass the small gap he had to get through. He just barely made it while the monsters pound away at the door.

Yuri sat up from where he was and took the chance to steady his breath. Suzaku was right next to him breathing, but still unconscious. Yuri tapped Suzaku's brow as if trying to figure out if his head was hollow or not. Yuri chuckles a bit to see Suzaku sleeping so soundly after almost getting mauled "Is anything in that head of yours? Or is it just a decoration?" Yuri sneered at Suzaku before falling on his back with a tired drop. He shut his eyes to catch a bit of shut eye before handling with the world around him.

"Yuri!" Hisca and Chastel's voice broke the silence that Yuri had obtained for himself mere seconds ago. Hisca stood beside Yuri while Chastel tended to Suzaku. Yuri sighed heavily, but remained in his position with his eyes still shut. When Hisca figured Yuri wouldn't respond; she kicked him right in the kidneys to get him back on his feet faster than he ran pass the gate.

"H-Hey!" Yuri stood straight up like a pole and faced Hisca. "What was that all about!"

"Oh that's funny. You don't even have the decency to even talk to us anymore after you left the knights?" Hisca said with a stuck up tone. "You could at least pay a visit and say hi you know."

"Well mind you I'm not in good terms with the empire anymore." Yuri shot back while leaning to the right. "I didn't think it would be good for your reputation to know a criminal like me."

Hisca just grunts; not being able to find a comeback for Yuri's statement. "Ugh, I swear you haven't changed much at all."

"Hey, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Yuri put a smug grin on his face. Yuri turned to see Chastel carrying off Suzaku with one other knight's help. "Well since we're talking now I guess I should be asking how you have been doing."

"Well-" Hisca turned around to glance at Suzaku before being taken inside for medical treatment. "We've been through some sticky messes before thanks to our fearless leader, but we manage as a squad. Suzaku does exceedingly well considering his position."

"But it doesn't look like he has changed either." Yuri sighed when he thinks of his pass with Suzaku as a comrade. There had been numerous times where Suzaku carried out reckless actions during his time in the Niren fraction. Sometimes, his actions border the line of suicidal with Yuri and Flynn having to bail him out every time. Today was no different from back then; it wasn't exactly a reunion Yuri would have wanted.

"You girls keeping Suzaku in check?" Hisca didn't answer that query. It felt wrong to give a yes or no answer to Yuri about that. Yuri sighed; feeling that Hisca's silence meaning she wouldn't answer properly. "Never mind, just make sure he doesn't get himself killed. I already kept the idiot form walking through death's door more times than I fed Repede."

"I will. Don't worry about it." Hisca said with assurance. Yuri was put at ease for a bit before Hisca started speaking again. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"HISCA!" A woman's voice shouted some distance away. The calling of her name continued to grow louder; evidently showing her approach. Hisca and Yuri turn to see a woman dressed in a traditional mages robes for the knights run up to them. She carried a composed and professional aura around her when she stood before Hisca and Yuri. "I saw Lieutenant Suzaku just arrive at the infirmary. What exactly happened out there?"

"Suzaku got the snot kicked out of him and I had to keep him from dying…again." Yuri interjected with a grin across his face; somehow displaying humor in his comment.

"Yuri! That's…wait no you're right about that. I forget you take light of almost anything." Hisca scowled at Yuri.

"You saved the lieutenant?" Hisca asked to confirm

"Yeah, threw him on my shoulder and bolted here faster than a gerbil on coffee." Yuri said

"I see." The woman lowers her head slightly while closing her eyes for a moment. She returns to her normal stance and holds out her hand. "Thank you. My name is Cecile by the way."

"Yuri." Yuri accepts her hand and shakes to complete the greeting. "As much as I love to continue this, I need to be somewhere." Yuri releases his grip and begins to walk away. "Nice chat we had. Hope to see you around soon."

_Well, glad to see Suzaku's doing well…for the most part, _Yuri thought while he reunites with C.C. and Estelle behind the carriage. They all exchanged glances before speaking. "Doesn't look like we will be able to go to Halure at this rate."

"B-But I need to get to Flynn!" Estelle exclaimed with a flustered tone.

"Why are you in such a rush?" C.C. questioned. "Do you need to propose to him or something?"

"By the sound of things; I think that may be the case." Yuri added. Repede also gave an approving bark to strengthen the assumption.

"N-No! It's not like that!" Estelle exasperated.

"Well as much as I love to mess with you. I think we should try to find some other means of getting to Halure, or we simply wait this out." Yuri suggested.

"But-"

"This isn't up for debate Estelle." C.C. interrupted Estelle's statement. "The facts are against you right now. You just need to accept it until we find a solution." Estelle pouts her head in defeat.

"You girls can talk. Just do it nicely." Yuri said. "I'm going to go look around." With that said and done, Yuri and company trudged off out of sight to the west part of the hold, hoping to find perhaps some other method around Deidon Hold. Just as he passed a nearby wagon, a woman with bright magenta hair and glasses as well as an orange and white uniform approached him.

"You there. How about coming to work for me? You'll be paid of course." She held up a bag that made a jingle to show she was serious. Yuri simply looked away; feeling a bit offended by the way she came entrance.

"Watch your manners around the President," growled her red armored bodyguard. "Well, whaddya say?"

"So it's not bad manners to buy someone without even introducing yourself?" shot back Yuri.

"Or drag them out of a city?" added C.C. under her breath, earning her a look from Yuri with a slight grunt.

"Watch your mouth!" barked the man with an aggressive approach, but the so called president stopped him from proceeding closer and smiled at Yuri proudly.

"You're just as charming as I expected," stated the woman. "I'm Kaufman of the merchant's guild, Fortune's Market. We handle everything from trade to distribution."

"Guilds, huh?" said Yuri. There was another massive series of rumbles at the gate. Yuri turned his gaze at the gaze for a bit to examine the area. There was nothing worth mentioning, so he returned his view back to Kaufman.

"You see, I'm in quite a tight spot and it's all thanks to these tremors."

"I'd rather not know, but was that the work of a monster?"

"Yes, the Lord of the Plains."

"The Lord of the Plains?" repeated Estelle.

"He's the leader of that pack of monsters," explained Kaufman.

"The leader? Man there's some amazing things out there," remarked Yuri.

"Do you know if there's another way we can cross the plains? We're in a bit of a hurry," asked Estelle.

"Hmm, I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for the Lord of the Plains to leave," sighed Kaufman.

"Huh. I guess there's no point in getting worked up over it," said Yuri.

"But I can't afford to just sit and wait. I'm going to get a second opinion," said Estelle before she took off for a nearby group of wagons. Repede let out a groan before he followed after her.

"She's awfully stubborn, isn't she?" pointed out C.C.

"You're one to talk," muttered Yuri. He turned back to Kaufman. "You're with a guild that does product distribution and you don't know any other routes?"

"I could hire you and just charge through once the leader moves on but…you don't seem interested," said Kaufman.

"If it's bodyguards you want, why not hire the Knights?" asked Yuri.

"Are you forgetting that we guild members have thrown away our rights as Imperial citizens? Once you leave the Empire behind you can't expect them to help you a whole lot. So naturally, the Imperial Knights would never deign to escort the likes of us."

"Wow, you really stick to your principles."

"Without that level of determination, one could never hope to run a guild."

"Or even live their lives by extension." C.C. added.

"You know, you're really starting to freak me out more than I thought possible." Yuri noted to C.C. before he returned to speaking with Kaufman. Well maybe you could use your _determination_ to do something about that Lord of the Plains." said Yuri. When Kaufman didn't respond, Yuri simply began to walk away with C.C. following form behind.

"Go to the Quoi Woods that lie to the west of here. If you pass through the forest, you'll come out on the far side of the plains."

Yuri's eyes narrowed once he returned his view towards her. "But the fact that you guys aren't going that way must mean we have some surprise waiting for us."

A smile came to Kaufman's lips. "I like a boy with quick wits, but I like one that doesn't waste a potential investment even better."

"Sorry, but your offer as an investment doesn't impact us more than it does you. Perhaps you should talk with Yuri at a later date when he isn't so occupied with another mission."

"Gee, thanks for speaking on my behalf." Yuri said with sarcasm ridiculously evident. He turns back to Kaufman again to continue. "Thanks. I owe you one. Maybe I'll talk to you about that job if we meet again."

Yuri and C.C. left Kaufman and made their way to the base of a short hill where they found Estelle and Repede waiting. The hound let out a wide yawn that snapped shut upon seeing Yuri.

"Estelle," called Yuri.

"I-I'm not waiting around for the monsters to leave or anything, I'm just resting a little."

"Oh, I see." Yuri nodded along for Estelle's decision. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to take the other way around with C.C. and Repede." Yuri said as he walked away with C.C. without saying anything else.

"What? How did you…? Hey, wait for me!" called Estelle as she stood up and hurried to catch up with them.

"You don't think you're just a little mean sometimes?" asked C.C.

"Not in the slightest," grinned Yuri.

-x-

The group stayed the night at the inn to recover from the day's journey. The following morning they left bright and early for the Quoi Woods that lied to the west. They proved to be nestled back a ways into a pass that divided the mountain range in two.

Upon entering the dark woods, Yuri failed to see what exactly was preventing Kaufman from going this way in the first place. C.C. didn't seem to mind the area at all either.

"A forest in a place like this can only mean…the Quoi Woods?" asked Estelle hesitantly.

"Bingo. You're just full of information, aren't you?" said Yuri.

"I read in a book once that a curse will fall upon anyone who enters these woods."

"Ah, so that must be the surprise," remarked Yuri before he turned around and started heading into the woods. C.C. and Repede trailed close behind him, leaving Estelle at the entrance. "Not going in? That's fine by me, but what about Flynn?"

Estelle nodded. "I know. Let's go."

The group made its way farther into the forest until they eventually reached a clearing illuminated partially by sunlight. "Do you hear something?" asked Estelle nervously. "My feet feel cold all of a sudden…Oh no! Is this the curse?" The panicked tone she made caused C.C. to chuckle a bit under her breath.

"What sort of curse is it supposed to be anyway?" asked Yuri.

"The voices of the corpses buried beneath the trees creep up and lure us to our bloody doom," said C.C. flatly to play with Estelle's frightened outlook. Yuri could barely suppress the urge to roll his eyes but Estelle looked absolutely terrified.

"Oh, brother," sighed Yuri.

They continued on their path with little want for more idle chatter, but Estelle somehow finds a way to create more anyway when she took notice of something. "What's that?" Estelle pointed out suddenly. There was a structure half-buried beneath various branches and moss.

"A blastia?" stated Yuri, confused. "What's it doing in a place like this?" Feeling like small chatter is going to keep them hammered for a while; Yuri decided to take time off. "Let's take a break."

"I'm all right," said Estelle. "Huh? What's this?" Estelle moved over to check something on the blastia when suddenly a flash of light burst forth. Yuri rushed forward to check on her but saw that she was already unconscious.


	3. Shadow of the Day

Chapter 3: Shadow of the day

Heavy rainfall and dark clouds filled the sky where the port city, Nor Harbor, stood. The city had been having a lot of trouble due to the showers in the area that hasn't stopped for quite some time. The docks were closed and the people we stranded with almost no ability to trade to the outside world. It was a dark time for the citizens that lived there.

A small boat off the shoreline slowly made its way to land out of sight of most of the city. The boat carried a hooded figure that was covered by a black cloak. When the small vessel met the land; the figure stepped off with careful footsteps onto the wet sand. His leather, water-proof, boots touched gently on the surface as he stepped off the boat.

Oddly, the boat carried no belongings of the figure. It was empty and only served to get the man over to shore.

The cloaked figure gave a solid push to the boat to get it back onto the water and allowed it to float away.

A gemstone that was attached to the figure's cloak as a clip to hold it together started to glows soft blue color. Green glyphs appeared and danced around the figure until he waved his hand into the air and spoke a soft chant. "Wind Blade." A gust of wind whooshed around the boat with strong, cutting, force and destroyed it; causing the small vessel to sink beneath the waves.

The Glyphs died out and the figure's hand disappeared behind the cloak he himself hides in.

"Can't take any chances." The individual spoke softly. He then turns to the direction of Nor Harbor and for a short while stood in place. It was as if looking at the city had aggravated him.

The city was stuck in a dreary, dark, atmosphere; which was odd to Lelouch. Considering what this town used to be like when there was no magistrate to govern; this didn't appeal to Lelouch at all. Now it feels as if the entire town is suppressed by the magistrates will.

The figure growled under his breath and clenched his fist under his cloak. "It's like nothing changed." He spoke with infliction part of his tone. "No matter. I simply have to add this to my agenda at a later date."

"Hey you!" A man's voice is heard from across the street. The cloacked figure turned to see two men dressed in matching red and black armor appear and ran toward him. They drew their swords and pointed at him. "What do you think you doing?"

"By the order of the new magistrate, no one is to leave the ports while the weather is as of now. Any violation to this decree will be imprisoned." The other mercenary informed.

"I see." The figure said calmly and removed his hood. He had short raven colored hair with an odd trait of having purple eyes. He looked like he was in his late teens. "But why pursue me? I haven't left the grounds. I arrived."

"Doesn't matter." The mercenary said without lowering his blade. "We already have enough to convict you. You'll going to have to face the consequences now."

"Sadly for you, we don't feel like taking anyone in, so we're going to have to kill you now." The other one said. The cloaked man chuckled with his eyes shut; an act that irritated the hired swordsman. "What's so funny?"

"To think that you would murder a civilian on the streets just because you are too lazy to actually turn me in. If that's the way you're going to have it; then I can't say I am willing to go quietly." The cloaked man said while opening his eyes to small slits. "Although I figured this would happen; I didn't think that this new magistrate would have hired guards from the Blood Alliance. He must have a poor requirement for skills."

The mercenary grew angry with that comment and prepared to attack. "I heard enough!"

"HALT!" The cloaked man said with authority. His left eye flared a sigil similar to that of Yuri when he obtained his Geass and the two men came to a complete stop. "Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you! Find the nearest monster den in the area, wait there, and not resist as the monsters feast on you!"

The two men held their heads high and responded, "YES, MY LORD!" The mercenaries immediately turned around and walked away. Lelouch gave off a sinister chuckle at the men he potentially ended. Since they have already been indoctrinated, they cannot respond violently to Lelouch.

"So much for heavy opposition." Lelouch said while covering his head with his cowl. "I should take my leave to Halure; otherwise I may get caught again."

Lelouch takes his time to sneak his way through the buildings and alleys to keep himself from getting caught. It was rather easy considering how lazy all the guards were.

Lelouch made it to the otherside of town and walked away casually out to the open fields of the wild; beyond the barrier.

Lelouch didn't have a high opinion about this magistrate anymore. He scorned him, but did not think him as a potential threat. His guards were too careless and brutish. These are the kind of people that Lelouch could easily get away from since they are all brawn and no muscle.

This makes him worry a bit. Lelouch is well aware that there is some form of tension between the empire and the guilds. Since Lelouch is a loner and an enemy of the empire, the fact that the blood alliance and the empire somehow coordinating together did not make him settle well.

"I should take note of this; for future reference." Lelouch mutters to himself during his travels to Ehmead hill.

-X-

Still covered by his hood, Lelouch entered the barrier that protected Ehmead Hill. The sun held close to the highest part of the sky; not quite on point straightupward. The area had a rocky path with lush green forests on the sides of the path to show that nature is undisturbed. It wasn't very long for Lelouch to arrive at Ehmead hill from Capua Nor. However, it was a great annoyance to him when he was constantly harassed by several bandits and other rouges that did not make things very easy for him.

A towering blastia was standing in the middle of the road; the one that produced the barrier for the area. Lelouch strolled pass, but stopped short when he felt something odd about the device. He looked at it for a second and felt an unsettling feeling in his stomach.

He felt the urge to check on it. Even though he should not be doing anything out of the ordinary in Empire controlled areas; his curiosity for this got the better of him and he strolls over to the side of the blastia.

He looked around him to see if the knights or citizens were paying attention to him. Believing to be cleared of suspicion; Lelouch waved his hand in the air to bring up the control module. Lelouch didn't want to tamper with the thing; simply analyze it. Anything within the Empire's grasp is worth noting at this point with increased tensions flaring around like wildfire these days.

Floods of formulas and numbers washed over the control console. Lelouch analyzed the data for a bit to see the blastia's contents. "These formulas. Could it be?" Lelouch muttered as he quickly read the formula's whizzing pass the screen. Lelouch recognized the formula, but he didn't want to stay any longer than he already had.

In order to prevent more risks than already committed; Lelouch waved his hand in swirling motions around the controls to recorded all the data within the device for future analyzing.

With one last wave Lelouch shut down his controls and walked away like nothing happened. The knights did not suspect a thing when Lelouch strolled away like any other civilian would, but Lelouch stopped just inches away from the barrier's maximum range. He looks to his left; as if something disturbed him. A presence of sorts.

Lelouch guessed correctly. Just outside the barrier were several Gattuso cubs running around. They paid no attention to Lelouch and stormed off to parts unknown.

Lelouch grunts quietly and ponders. _ Monsters lurking this close to barriers is never a good sign when it's a cluster. They're smarter than what people give them credit for._ Lelouch ignores the creatures for now. He didn't want to start a fight with Gattuso cubs, much less a mature one. So Lelouch treads carefully to Halure in order to avoid the monsters.

-X-

It was midday now and the sun shines on the tree with a good enough angle to make it seem that Halure's immense tree is glowing. The tree's branches spanned over the town like an umbrella; a town where nature and humanity co-exist would be a good way to summarize the town's site.

Lelouch had almost no sleep from his begging travels from Nor Harbor. His stamina was much greater from back due to the need of survival, but to travel non-stop from Nor to Halure tired him out. Lelouch meant to stay in Nor harbor for the knight due to his long boat ride, but he never expected the city to be under heavy influence; hence the cause of adaption to his plan.

"I need a break. I don't have to be back in Torim harbor for another three days. So I got time." The only thing Lelouch could think of right now is sleep. He was already ahead of schedule, so there wasn't any rush.

Lelouch walked up the slope near Halure's entrance into the city. He finnaly felt that he can relax a bit, but that feeling was short lived.

Further up the hill, A group of knights stood at attention. All of them were wearing the generic armor pieces that all knights wear, but with a shade of blue for their fabric.

One stood out among the rest. A woman with hair the color of strained peaches and violet colored eyes stood in the middle of the group. She looked to be in her early twenties with a small beauty mark beneath her left eye. She had a lot of soft features to her figure, but that gaze she carried and the way she walked was very sharp. It would have been very impressionable to Lelouch; if only she wasn't a knight.

Lelouch took to the shadows to the right of the entrance to sneak pass everyone. Lelouch found his way to the underside of one house and hid there. He did not expect so many knights in the area. The quantity was unusual though, as if there was a special purpose for them here.

Lelouch felt once more then need to be cautious. "I'm not even back with my force, and yet I still have to dodge bullets." Getting caught would be counterproductive to his goal, so he hid away and watched the scene unfold form underneath the stairs to the mayor's house. "So much for my vacation."

Another knight came walking up the slope and the female knight saluted to him. The knight has blonde hair with a slightly tan skin; possibly from being out the sun.

Then it clicked to Lelouch. The city of Halure was a hotspot for knights on a pilgrimage. To his conclusion, he figured there was no need to hide away as he did, so he calmly made his way out of his hiding spot and exited to an area out of sight of the knights.

With him out in the open now, Lelouch could stroll around without worry of the knights hounding him in some shape or form. Their pilgrimage is to help people. All that Lelouch would need to do is turn their request down and no one would make a fuss.

With the setting back to being calm; Lelouch stared up to the immense tree that spread its branches like muscular arms. The pink petals seem to be weakening in color; a sign that the tree is close to blooming.

"So I made it after all." Lelouch muttered while admiring the giant tree. Lelouch wanted to head back into the inn, but the adrenaline given to him be finding the knights here had given him a little bit of energy. "It's strange. After all I have been through I can still stand around to take in such attractive sights. I suppose this small vacation was worth more than just collecting items of interest; even as bad as this vacation has gone so far." Lelouch sighed with a contented smile smoothing his lips. "It's too bad that I could not take Nunnally along to join me. Her company would have made this much more enjoyable. At least things can't get any worse."

However, the peace did not last. Lelouch saw that the barrier began to flicker and dissipate. He immediately got apprehensive to this sight and turned sharply to the city's entrance. "I just had to say that didn't I?" The knights also saw the barrier waver and eventually shut down.

"H-Help!" One young boy wearing a green shirt and yellow pants cried out as he ran up the sloping entrance. Three Gattuso cubs came running up from behind that boy. The monster had pitch black fur and slobbering mouths that had their teeth exposed like sharks. The knights immediately came running down to help him.

"Are those the same monsters that I felt creeping along at Ehmead hill?" Lelouch pondered with his hand on his chin. "No matter, I put in the effort to get here. I won't let them screw around with me." Lelouch dashed forward down the hill to jump into the fray. The knights had a hard time, but the boy managed to escape and ran pass Lelouch. He stood from the top of the hill to see the fight ensue below him with the Gattuso cubs.

Lelouch knew all too well about these monsters. The Gattuso cubs were stronger than the average monster. Three was like fighting a legion of twelve wolves with how fierce they are and those are just cubs. The mature Gattusos would ruin anyone's day if someone encountered one.

The blonde knight took command and got all the knights to start fighting off the monsters. Lelouch decided to keep his distance and use strictly magic.

Several more cubs poured into the cities entrance. And soon even more came in and started to overwhelm the knights. Something didn't feel right about the amount of monsters that came running in to Lelouch. It was only one specific type of monster, and there were so many. It was as if the monsters planned the attack and just waited for the tree to weaken. It didn't matter now though, Lelouch had to act or the town would become a slaughter house.

"O' caprice of innocent waters!" Lelouch chanted. "Champagne!" Lelouch unleashed a burst of explosive bubbles beneath a few more Gattuso knocking most of them down and killing the others. "Close call." For now, Lelouch would have to help the knights, or he would end up someone else's next meal.

Flynn looked up the hill to see the hooded figure that is Lelouch. "Thanks!" Flynn exclaimed in gratitude.

"Don't thank me yet. We still got more to deal with." Lelouch shot back as he began chanting again. "Wind Blade!" A gust of cutting wind swooped into the area and attacked a group of cubs. They managed to resist the attack. _Resistant to wind…_

Unfortunately, they managed to get pass the knights and headed over to Lelouch. So Lelouch had to get defensive and unsheathe his knife.

The boy at the top of the hill ran away screaming while Lelouch was about to get overrun. Only one decided to attack Lelouch and the others ran pass him.

When the Gattuso cub jumped at Lelouch; he ducked to get under the creature's belly and stab the beast through the heart with a knife he had been carrying. Lelouch succeeded and the cub went limp; so Lelouch tossed the corpse to the side and turned to go after the ones that broke through his attack.

Lelouch stopped cold when he heard a powerful roar coming from the foot of the hill. Lelouch turned back to see a fully matured Gattuso ready to charge up the hill. "Damn!" Lelouch jumped out of the way in time to keep himself from getting trampled by the beast that charged to the top of the hill like a bullet.

A slew of knights started to charge to the top as well in attempts to try and take down the beast. But the Gattuso was a strong monster; one that provided a deadly challenge to the ill prepared.

"They aren't going to win like this." Lelouch declared to himself. He gets back on his feet and runs up the hill to assess the situation as it stands now. The knights somehow managed to get them clumped into a group. Lelouch casted a large smirk on his face with a chuckle coming after. "Too bad monsters are generally not that bright. This makes things very easy." Glyphs started to cluster around Lelouch much more in quantity and complexity than before; showing that he is preparing for a very powerful spell. "Everyone get out of the way!" Lelouch called out to the.

The knights heard Lelouch's voice and saw his incantation. They knew what was coming and bolted from the cluster of monster. "O' righteous will, let fall thy sword of lightning upon those who bear fault!" Lelouch dramatized his incantation with a powerful voice. "Let's see what you can do to stand up to this! THUNDER BLADE!" The clouds overhead darken and a surge of lightning came to a single point in the sky. A sword of pure lighting then shot down through the branches and petals and stabbed the ground around the collection of monsters. One was unfortunate enough to get impaled by the blade itself. Then a powerful burst of electricity shot out and killed the entire group; all except the mature one that managed to barely survive the attack.

Once the clouds cleared and the monsters slain, the mature Gattuso got frantic and bashed its way through the knights and out the village. It had to limp its way out so it was pretty damaged and not likely to come back at all.

Lelouch looked down the hill to where the monster ran off. A blood trail was left where it ran; showing that he is seriously hurt enough to not come back period. A sigh of satisfaction and relief swarmed through Lelouch's body; a feeling well deserved.

The sound of clapping and cheers can be heard all over the town from the citizens. The knights also joined in the applause. Lelouch just registered that the applause was meant for him. His smile could not be seen by the crowd, but it dropped pretty fast considering how displeasing the situation is for him. Now he has way too much attention, and the type he didn't want period at that.

"Alas, it doesn't matter anymore." Lelouch said to himself with his eyes shut. He re-opened them to see the blonde knight in front of him. "You are?"

"Flynn. Flynn Scifo." The blonde knight introduced himself.

"You're the one in charge here?" Lelouch probed.

"Yes, but don't worry about those details." Flynn shook his head to show that the subject of Flynn's position was not appropriate for the occasion. He places his hand upon Lelouch's shoulder and smiles. "You did a great service. Thanks to you we avoided casualties and prevented further damage to the city."

"I just did what anyone else would've done." Lelouch said turning away from Flynn.

Flynn didn't know how to respond to someone so unwilling to easily take a compliment. He thought about perhaps asking the mysterious individual for help in his pilgrimage considering he was a mage, but something told Flynn he wasn't going to get the answer he desired and without knowing for certain that the individual before him was a registered mage of Aspio he didn't want to start poking and prodding.

He had said his peace. It was enough for the knight's conscience. If the hero of the dilemma wanted to be cold and uncaring about his heroic efforts, that was his business. Flynn was kind like that much in contrast to Yuri. Flynn sighed at the thought of his friend. If it had been Yuri who had just got blown off like that he would've grabbed the mage by the shoulder and asked "what the hell is your problem?" or something.

While Flynn drowned himself in his thoughts of friendship, Lelouch strolled over to the tree's base to inspect it. The soil around it became saturated with the blood of the monsters he fought along with Flynn. He kneels down and brushes across the dirt gently with his hand. The feel of the soil no longer felt fertile; which worried Lelouch about the tree's health. "Damn it." Lelouch curses under his breath as he stands up. "I'm such an idiot."

Lelouch headed back down the slope to the lower city area. "Thanks to the monster blood tainting the tree; not only will the tree not bloom, but the barrier is going to shut down as well." Lelouch closed his eyes and ponders on the different thoughts that floated inside his head. He needed a way to cure the tree; otherwise he wouldn't be able to claim the petals. Even worse, the people would be defenseless.

Lelouch re-opened his eyes after he heard a kicking sound from the side and he looked in that direction to find its source. To his surprise; the boy he saw earlier that ran away was stomping along the dirt and kicking up dust-clouds out of frustration, but his body movements also suggested he was deep in thought as well.

Feeling curious over the boy's behavior; Lelouch walked up to him from behind and called out to him. "Hey. You ok?"

"Huh?" The boy turned around sharply to see who was talking to him. He stuttered back a couple inches in surprise of seeing Lelouch, but regained himself properly enough to respond. The boy was even small enough to see under Lelouch's hood; and Lelouch knew that. "O-Oh, it's you. The guy who fought off the monsters with the knights."

"Yeah, although I'd rather not be given the attention." Lelouch's eyes narrowed slightly at him; hinting that he should keep his cool around him so they don't make a scene. Lelouch didn't need to be noticed now since he is close by the Empire now. It is dangerous enough being here as it is; getting found out wouldn't be a good thing.

"S-Sorry. I didn't think that you would actually talk to me."

"You seemed concerned about something. If you would excuse me asking; what exactly is bothering you?" Lelouch asked.

"It's about what I'm going to do about the tree." Karol stated as he turned his gaze to view Halure's tree. The petals seemed to be drawing into a dull red color; showing that the tree isn't healthy anymore. "I want to be able to save the tree and I have a plan." Karol turned back around and pouted in hopelessness. "But no one wants to take me seriously."

"I see." Lelouch's eyes loosen its narrow gaze, but remains slightly tightened to keep himself from getting sentimental. "Why are you so eager to get the tree back to normal?

"Oh…um…you see…" The boy became flustered by the man's question and couldn't find the right words to use.

"Never mind. Forget I asked." Lelouch sighed while he scratched his brow to wipe away the sweat that plagued him. He dropped his hand down and made another inquiry. "Do you think your plan will work?"

The boy lifts his head up in alarm; he never thought that Lelouch would take him seriously. So, with energy bursting from the boy's body, he began waving his hand around like a teacher would. "Well, all we need is a panacea bottle to purify the ground. Once then the tree will get healthy again. We need a petal from the tree, an eggbear claw, and a nia fruit."

Lelouch lowers his head a bit and closed his eyes to drift into his mind for a moment. _A Panacea bottle? If it were that simple then we should just buy one from the store._

As if Lelouch's thoughts transferred over to the boy; the inquiry was answered. "I tried asking the store, but they were out of stock."

"Is that so?" Lelouch lifted his head and opened his eyes to make eye contact. _Looks like we don't have much of a choice here._ "Then I guess the first thing to do is get the petals, right?"

"I-I think the mayor might have some. The ones from the tree won't work the way they are now." The boy said.

"Then let's head over to the mayor's house and speak with him." Lelouch ordered and turned to walk down the rest of the hill down. He stopped short when he felt a tug on his cape; which he turned to see the boy looking up at him. "Is something wrong?"

The boy released his grasp from him and backed away a couple feet. "I-It's just, no one here took me seriously about this so-"

"You do carry some merit with what you are saying." Lelouch gave credit to the boy's understanding of the situation. "I could work on my own for a solution, but I rather do this as fast as possible. You seem to have already thought this through enough to give this a shot. If this works; then you helped me greatly."

A smile appeared on the boy's face; feeling a sense of assuredness in his plan after being compliment like he did. "Thanks. By the way; my name is Karol Capel of the Hunting Blades." Karol lifted his hand up as an offer for a handshake.

Lelouch would rather not go through such formalities, but he decided that it would be in his best interest to go along with it. "Pleasure to meet you." Lelouch accepts Karol's gesture and shake. "I'm Lelouch Lamperouge."

"Alright then!" The moment Lelouch released his grasp; Karol began pumping his fist into the air in excitement. "Let's get rolling!" Karol then dashed away to the bottom of the hill faster than necessary. An amused smile crept onto Lelouch's face as he watched the boy burst with energy so suddenly.

"Time to get moving then." Lelouch muttered to himself as he ran down the hill to catch up with the energetic youth.

-x-

Lelouch and Karol walked up the stairs to the mayor that stood at the doorstep of his house. The Mayor bowed generously in response to the two men's visit. "Ah." The mayor took notice at the Lelouch; who was still concealed under his hood. "It is you. Out of behalf of the entire city I cannot thank you enough for fighting off all the monsters alongside the knights."

"It's nothing you should thank me for." Lelouch humbled. "I merely did what I felt was right. I couldn't turn a blind eye from the attack."

"Yeah, but you were way awesome!" Karol shouted with enthusiasm. "You're magic is nothing like I saw before. Forget the knights; you practically saved the city all by yourself!"

"I wouldn't go that far." Lelouch said in defense for the knights that fought; even if that alone was a surprise to Lelouch. "I have to stay as strong as possible. Traveling alone is dangerous of course, so I need to take care of myself."

"Still, with such admirable skills, we need to find some way to repay you." The mayor insisted with his wish to compensate Lelouch. "Is there anything we can do?"

Finding the mayor's words as a doorway to opportunity; Lelouch took him up on his offer. "Well, I came here to get petals from the tree to give to someone…special." Lelouch said with a calm, but gloomy outlook. "But since the tree in its current condition; there is no way for the tree to bloom." Lelouch looked over to Karol's side and nudged him a bit. "Hence my small journey with this man to cure the tree."

"Cure the tree." The mayor's thoughts escaped his mind.

"Yeah! We need ingredients to make a panacea bottle that can cure the tree!" Karol added.

"That's great to hear!" The mayor felt a large amount of hope fill his body from hearing Lelouch and Karol's mission. "If you were to cure the tree, then the barrier will recover and it will bloom again. So what do you require?"

"I was wondering if you had any petals of the tree that we could use. It's one of the ingredients needed."

"Well. I do have a few petals that I keep for myself, but if it would help in your mission then I won't hesitate on this request. Please wait here." The mayor rushes inside and closes the door behind him; leaving Karol and Lelouch to their own doings for a bit.

"That went really well." Lelouch said with a smirk. _I didn't even need to use __**it**__. Looks like I still got it._

"Uh…Lelouch?" Karol looked up to see the smirk on Lelouch's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Lelouch's smirk vanished when he heard Karol's voice. "No, nothing is wrong. I'm just feeling a little eager is all."

"Oh. Ok."

Right when Karol was about to inquire a bit further; the Mayor walked out his door and held a few petals at Lelouch. "Here they are young man." Lelouch accepted the petals with care and placed them inside the inner folds of his cloak. "Is there anything else?"

"Not at the moment." Lelouch said. "We need to go find an eggbear's claw and nia fruit."

"We got it from here. We'll be back soon." Karol assured the Mayor.

"Well, do be careful. And thank you once again for helping our city." The Mayor bowed and exited the scene back into his house.

-x-

The sun was setting across the horizon above the cloudless sky; signifying that evening hours were the present time. With the whether as fair as it is; Karol and Lelouch took their time to walk towards the Quoi Woods. However, Lelouch wanted to get this done quickly so he can conclude his journey so close to Zaphias. Karol, in contrast to Lelouch, was not as tense about it since his only concern is the barrier.

Within Karol's mind a memory returned to him from when Lelouch was speaking. He recalled of him speaking about someone _special_ to him, so he decided to ask about it to strike up a conversation.

Karol tugged on Lelouch's cloak for his attention. "Hey Lelouch."

Lelouch looked down to the young boy. "Hmm?"

"You said before that you wanted to get the petals for someone special. Can I ask who?"

"My sister." Lelouch answered plainly.

"Your sister?" Karol inquired further. "So you traveled all the way here to get her petals? Why didn't I see her anywhere?"

"Because she's at home." Lelouch answered without missing a beat.

Feeling his curiosity not sated, Karol probe's further. "Where did you come from then?"

"I do a lot of traveling, but I live in Torim Harbor."

"Wow, that's not that far." Karol seemed pretty shock by Lelouch's answers so far. "So why is it that you came here and not your sister? Or rather, why didn't your sister come with you?"

Lelouch slowed down a bit before. Karl got a little worried; thinking that he was digging too deep, but Lelouch answered anyway. "She is…sickly."

"Really?" Karol said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so-"

"It's alright. It was pure curiosity, no harm done." Lelouch picked his pace back up to normal.

"So what's your sister's name?" Karol asked; trying his best to keep the conversation going.

Lelouch was reluctant to answer that question, but he figured that it would be alright to answer him. "Nunnally." Karol is just a kid, it's not like this would have a heavy impact on him later.

"How old is she?" Karol asked.

Lelouch stopped his advance and looked to Karol with slit-like eyes. Lelouch is drawing a line now in this conversation. "No." he responded with a deep tone of warning; stressing the simple word to.

"H-huh?" Karol stepped back a foot in distress; wondering what he had done to get Lelouch so irritable.

"I know exactly where these strings of questions are headed. Once I tell her age you're going to ask what she looks like and then you'll start thinking things that I would kill you for if you actually did."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Karol asked, shaking his fists.

"Play innocent if you must, but we're dropping the conversation now."

"But-"

"Enough talking. Time to move." Lelouch solidified his foundation for stopping the discussion with a dark tone as emphasis. Karol swallowed and things were silent between the two travelers the rest of the way to the Quoi Woods


End file.
